Bus sex attack on student caught on CCTV

A PASSENGER who molested a young woman on a city bus in view of other passengers is believed to have been caught in the act by the hi-tech digital camera system on board.

Bus company management were due to hand over a computer disc to gardaí last night containing film recorded by a nearby camera. The victim, a 20-year-old college student, is to meet investigating detectives this morning to view the footage and make a positive identification of the man who assaulted her.

The assault happened at about 4.30pm on Tuesday in Dublin shortly after the young woman boarded the No 39 bus which runs from the city centre to the western suburbs.

A dark-skinned man in his late 20s, whom she guessed to be of south Asian origin, got on the bus after her and sat down beside her despite plenty of other seats being vacant at the time.

He pinned her to the side of the bus with his elbow, placed his satchel and coat over his lap and proceeded to grope her while masturbating. The young woman’s mother told the Gerry Ryan Show yesterday that her daughter is slightly built and weighs less than seven stone and was afraid to resist in case her assailant had a knife.

The woman’s mother said her daughter was in tears but was a shy person and was too stunned and embarrassed to ask for help. She believed her distress was obvious to other passengers but no-one intervened or alerted the bus driver.

Her ordeal ended when the bus came to a stop near where one of her aunts lived and she wriggled free but even then her brazen assailant forced her to climb over him to get out and laughed at her as she left.

Dublin Bus staff spent several hours yesterday reviewing security footage from three No 39s which were in operation in the area around the time the attack took place and by evening said they had isolated the relevant section to give to gardaí.

Company spokeswoman, Gráinne Mackin, said: “We have been in contact with the gardaí and they are going to bring in the young woman and her mother tomorrow to go through the footage in the morning so hopefully after that they should be clear who they’re looking for.”

Almost 90% of the Dublin Bus fleet of more than 1,000 buses has been fitted with digital cameras since the company received €2.8 million in funding from the Department of Transport in January to upgrade security equipment.

Ms Mackin said: “There are up to seven cameras on each bus and each one is recording continuously so there are no blackspots. They are very securely fitted, very discreet and behind security glass so if somebody was trying to dislodge them, they’d be noticed. They store images for five days and they’re of a much higher quality than the old black and white video type recordings we used to have. You can zoom in on specific areas and enhance pictures for greater clarity.”

So far, the main use for the new cameras has been pinning down passengers who violate the non-smoking rule or engage in anti-social behaviour. Some 300 smokers have been prosecuted this year using the footage.

Their value in assisting in the investigation of more serious crimes will be tested by this case but Ms Mackin advised passengers concerned about any occurrence on a bus not to wait until after the event to report it.

“Our drivers are streetwise and they are a good judge of how to deal with any situation that might arise. They’re also in radio contact with the control office and with inspectors on the road so they can always arrange for gardaí to meet them if there’s a problem.