London Night Tube predator who sexually assaulted sleeping women jailed
A serial sexual harasser who targeted sleeping women on London’s Night Underground has been jailed after police linked him to a string of unsolved attacks.
Salman Yousaf, 46, was already serving a prison sentence for an unrelated offense when a tip-off from the Metropolitan Police led to British Transport Police (BTP) identifying him in 2024.
BTP investigators later reviewed the unsolved cases and discovered that Yousaf was responsible for multiple sexual assaults committed between 2017 and 2021.
He admitted eight counts of sexual assault and one count of offending against public decency at Inner London Crown Court on May 20, and was sentenced to prison and given a further four years’ license upon release.
Yousaf was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and placed under a sexual harm prevention order.
BTP said investigators were unable to identify him earlier due to a lack of CCTV footage from the train and his failure to enter or exit ticket offices at the time of many of the crimes.
His first offense was at around 5am on March 11, 2017, when he masturbated in front of a woman on a Central Line service near Stratford.
Yousaf sexually assaulted a further eight women on the Central and Jubilee line services, targeting those who were on their own and falling asleep on their tubes at night.
BTP Detective Constable Iryna Cuthbert said: “Salman Yousaf is a calculating predator who deliberately exploits the railway network at night to target lonely women, using their isolation to commit a series of premeditated crimes.
“Even when confronted, he did not show a full sense of remorse, nor did he show remorse at sentencing.
“Thanks to information provided by our colleagues at the Metropolitan Police, we were able to link him to a catalog of heinous sexual crimes and ultimately extend his stay behind bars beyond 2030.
“Yusuf’s crimes will leave a lasting impact on the women he targets.
“I want to commend their bravery in coming forward and reporting what happened and I hope his sentencing will bring them some justice.”
Yousaf was serving a prison sentence for targeting another woman who had fallen asleep on the tube, driving her away from the station and sexually assaulting her on a road near West Ham station.
He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court on charges of sexual assault and sexual assault by penetration.
Met detectives pieced together Yousaf’s movements by tracking CCTV from the night of the attack and discovered he frequently used Forest Gate station.
They spoke to the staff there, identified him and led to his arrest.
