Serial train masturbator returns to prison for exposing himself to woman just days after release
A serial train masturbator has returned to prison for exposing himself and masturbating to a lone woman just 12 days after his release.
James Gathercole, 40, was last week sentenced to two years and four months in prison following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation into his “sickening” behaviour.
Last July, a woman on a train from London to East Grinstead noticed Gathercole staring at her from a nearby seat one morning. After passengers in the same carriage disembarked at East Croydon, he fully exposed himself and began masturbating while continuing to look at the woman.
He left service at Upper Warlingham station and reported Gathercole’s actions to a member of railway staff who contacted BTP.
Officers found Gathercole asleep on the train when they boarded it at East Grinstead station before arresting him.
Checks on the Police National Database revealed he had breached an existing SHPO and license conditions following his release from prison just 12 days earlier.
The offense came just a year after he was jailed for two separate incidents on the same day in London on May 26, 2024, in which he exposed himself to women and masturbated on trains.
Following this conviction, he was given a 10-year SHPO banning him from traveling on public transport or having any contact with a single woman without a valid method of payment.
The second exposure offence, for which Gathercole was convicted earlier this month, relates to another incident in June 2024 in which he exposed himself and masturbated on a train in South London.
He had also breached the conditions of his prison release licence, by not being on the property after 7pm in July last year. For this he was arrested at East Grinstead station.
Gathercole, of Leigham Court Road, London, pleaded guilty to two counts of exposure and also admitted breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and breaching the conditions of his prison release licence. He was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on February 2.
BTP detective officer Jean-Pierre Choolhun said: “Following our investigation, it is entirely correct that James Gathercole has been re-arrested. “There is absolutely no place for this disgusting behavior in our society.
“We take all reports of sexual offenses extremely seriously and this case demonstrates that commitment.
“Our officers took immediate action, intercepting the train and arresting Gathercole shortly after the report was made.
“Anyone who is a victim or witness of sexual crime on the railway can report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40.”
