Forensics trace man who spat at staff member on London Underground

British Transport Police officers used forensics to trace a man after he spat a member of railway staff on the London Underground.

Investigators identified Hasib Rahimi through his saliva, he was soon arrested and has since been jailed for 10 weeks.

Rahimi, 19, had entered Northwick Park on Tuesday 7 July 2020 and asked for free travel after claiming he had lost his travel pass.

When he was told no, he angrily dialled the police and handed the phone to the staff member.

The victim told the operator there was no emergency, ended the call and then was spat at by Rahimi.

The case was investigated by BTP’s dedicated London Underground staff assaults team.

They used a sample of Rahmi’s spit to identify and ultimately arrest him.

Hasib Rahimi custody image:

Rahimi, of High Street, Collier’s Wood, pleaded guilty to common assault at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Friday 9 April.

He was jailed for 10 weeks.

The offence was deemed especially serious since it occurred during a pandemic. He was also ordered to pay a £128 fine.

Investigating officer, PC Luke Dear, said: “Our team is dedicated to investigating any incidents that disrupt the peace and security of front-line staff on the Underground.

“We use every tool at our disposal to identify and arrest offenders. We use forensics, as was the case here, as well as the CCTV in every station, and more recently, the body worn video worn by Transport for London staff, which gives close-up, often indisputable evidence.”