Thug jailed after assaulting member of Underground staff - London

A thug who assaulted a member of London Underground staff at Cockfosters station has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Stanley Oragui, 43, of Kentish Town Road, London, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on 2 September charged with assault, breaching two suspended sentences, and a separate shoplifting offence.

The judge sentenced him to three years in prison.

On the evening of Sunday 26 April at Cockfosters Underground station, a train at platform four was due to go out of service.

A member of London Underground staff was called to attend as Oragui was refusing to leave the train.

Oragui was asked to leave the depot-bound train by the member of staff, to which again he refused.

The member of staff then picked up Oragui’s Tesco shopping bag and started to walk off the train in the hope he would follow. Oragui then threw two punches at the member of staff, hitting him behind the ear before pulling the staff member’s phone from his top shirt pocket – ripping it – and throwing the phone onto another platform.

Oragui then exited the station and boarded a bus destined for Potters Bar. British Transport Police officers stopped the bus on Cockfosters Road, identified Oragui and he was arrested and charged with common assault.

A warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to attend court, and he was arrested for a second time at the end of August.

TfL Embedded Inspector Mullah Hoque said: “This was an abhorrent and cowardly act of violence against an unsuspecting member of London Underground staff, going about their daily duties

“There is never an excuse for behaviour of this kind, especially in response to the simple request of disembarking a train – we will not tolerate any form of violence on the transport network,
and are working closely with our partners in eradicating these types of situations”

“This type of result after a complex investigation shows exactly what our commitment in bringing offenders to justice, truly is”

“I would like to thank the victim for his cooperation throughout, and wish him well for the future.”

Siwan Hayward, Director of Compliance, Policing and On Street at Transport for London (TfL), said: “We welcome the conviction of Stanley Oragui. All our staff, who work hard to provide a safe and reliable transport service for customers, have the right to carry out their duties without fear of assault or any other form of abuse.

“This conviction serves as a reminder of our zero-tolerance approach and that we push for the strongest sentences for those who harm our staff.”