A man who sexually assaulted and stalked women on trains and at stations has been jailed.

Craig Anthony Anderson, 38, of no fixed address, attacked young women while they were travelling on the Tube and rail network between June and October last year.

The predator targeted lone women in London and in the surrounding areas by first striking up a conversation with his victims before sexually assaulting them.

At Bank Underground station, Anderson followed a young woman on June 14 shortly before 4pm and started an unwanted conversation with her.

He told her she looked ‘sexy’ after asking for her name and number.

She asked her to leave her alone before Anderson sexually assaulted her.

CCTV footage captured brazen Anderson sticking his tongue out at her and laughing as he walked through the station.

Around a week later, Anderson asked another young woman for her social media details on board a train at Guildford, Surrey. They exchanged phone numbers, and he harassed her over text for a few weeks.

The woman refused to meet up, and on July 15, Anderson followed her from Epsom railway station onto the Victoria-bound train. On board, he verbally abused her before trying to steal her bag, proceeding to follow her.

The terrified woman hid in the train toilet until Canary Wharf when Anderson left.

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He terrorised her for months until his arrest in October, sending her sexual messages and images.

Anderson went on to target three other victims before he was eventually apprehended at a passport office, where the man claimed he was leaving the UK within weeks.

At London Liverpool Street station exit, he approached a young woman on August 2, tapping her on the shoulder asking her swhere she was going and for her social media accounts, which she refused to give.

Anderson then said she was being difficult and asked to touch her, which she refused again. But the man sexually assaulted her before fleeing the station.

Some weeks later, on August 29, he attacked another woman at Westminster Underground station after asking for directions.

But he followed her up the escalator and sexually assaulted her, laughing in her face before leaving the scene.

His last known crime was on the evening of October 6 on the platform at Purley railway station.

Under the disguise of asking for directions to Gatwick Airport, he quizzed a woman about her personal life and went on to board the same train, where he sat next to her.

She eventually told him she wasn’t interested after Anderson pestered her for her phone number and email.

Anderson asked her what she would do if he tried to kiss her, and she said she would report him to the police.

He sexually assaulted her and blocked her escape attempts from her seat.

The victim was able to escape eventually and get out of the train at Redhill station.

British Transport Police detectives were able to track Anderson using CCTV stills and an identification parade.

His behaviour was so persistent that the judge at the Old Bailey made a sweeping sexual harm prevention order banning him from being able to approach, sit or stand near lone women for 10 years.

Detective Constable Libby Wildego said: ‘Anderson is a dangerous predator who preyed on women for his own sexual gratification.

‘Just as he did throughout the assaults themselves, when we questioned him under caution he smirked throughout and offered no comment, highlighting the sheer lack of remorse for his actions.

‘It is thanks to the brave victims who came forward and supported our investigation that we have seen Anderson sentenced for his horrific crimes.

‘Despite his own behaviour in court where he voluntarily left before he received his sentence, I hope this result provides some sense of comfort for the victims.’

Anderson was jailed at The Old Bailey last week to one year and 10 months in prison following a trial in January, which found him guilty of four counts of sexual assault and one count of stalking.