British Transport Police have released a CCTV image of a man they are hunting after he allegedly performed a sex act while staring at a woman on a Lioness line train. The incident happened just after midnight on June 16, officers said, as the train travelled between London Euston and Watford Junction.
The hunt comes as a separate train incident in the United States has drawn global attention. A photograph taken by Reuters photographer Cheney Orr on July 4 shows Bernita Bowlding, a 33-year-old Black mother of two, sitting alone on a Washington D.C. train surrounded by masked members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front. Her brother, Paul Bowlding, told The Washington Post he was concerned when he saw the image, describing it as “basically like hounds surrounding her.” Bernita has struggled with mental illness, her family said, and they lost contact with her after she headed out to church and a store on Sunday, the day after the photo was taken.
“British Transport Police hunt man who performed sex act on Lioness line train; viral US image of Black woman surrounded by white nationalists emerges.”
Commentators have likened the image to Civil Rights-era photographs. “Your great grandchildren will see this photo in their history books,” liberal commentator Dean Withers wrote on X. Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, called it “a defining picture of this moment in America.” Figures on the right pointed to a 2024 arrest for misdemeanor indecent exposure, which was later dismissed; Paul Bowlding said his sister was in the midst of a mental health crisis during that arrest. Another passenger on the train, Roswell Encina, president and CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, told The Advocate he was struck by fear and the symbolism of the moment as he travelled to Maryland for a party.
The London police appeal remains ongoing, with no arrests yet reported. The two incidents, though oceans apart, both underscore the vulnerability of passengers on public transport.