A teenager who raped a girl at a busy train station in east London has been jailed for five years.

Tommi Harwood, 18, was found guilty of rape following a five-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

He was also handed an indefinite restraining order and an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The attack occurred on September 5, 2024, after Harwood, then 16, messaged the victim on Snapchat and told her his name was “Bobby”.

The court heard that the victim, a 16-year-old girl, told Harwood she was on a train, and he asked to meet her at Romford station.

They met on the platform shortly after 8pm, when he led her into a waiting room and repeatedly asked her to check if anyone was in the women’s toilets.

After a short while she went to use the toilet, but Harwood followed and raped her.

Upon returning to the platform, he told the victim, “If we see police, run across the tracks”.

The victim reported the attack to British Transport Police (BTP) detectives the following day, and Harwood was arrested at Basildon station on October 25 after being stopped by rail staff for travelling without a valid ticket.

BTP Detective Constable Ross McAlpine said: “The young victim has shown tremendous courage, not only by speaking up and reporting what happened to her, but by supporting our enquiries and the court proceedings that followed.

“She has been supported throughout our investigation by specialist officers, and I hope the fact her attacker is now behind bars brings her some sense of justice.

“Harwood’s attack was premeditated and frankly abhorrent. Through his actions, he has shown that he poses a very real threat to women and girls.”