Description
A serial sex offender who exposed himself on trains twice in three days has been jailed, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.
Oliver Shoesmith, 44, and of no fixed address, was sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment at Northampton Crown Court on Monday 13 July having pleaded guilty to two counts of Exposure. He was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The court heard how on Tuesday 20 August 2024 Shoesmith boarded a train at Guildford railway station bound for Farnham. He walked down the train before spotting a lone woman, opting to sit across the aisle from her despite there being many other empty seats.
The woman, who was reading her book, didn't initially notice as Shoesmith unzipped his jacket and trousers before exposing himself. As soon as she noticed, the woman stood up and moved down the train away from him.
Shoesmith also got up, moving further down the train until he spotted another woman. He sat diagonally opposite from the woman, who was sat across from her husband, before exposing himself again and masturbating.
Only two days later, on Thursday 22 August, Shoesmith boarded a train at Brighton railway station bound for Bedford and again sat across the aisle from a woman.
She noticed Shoesmith masturbating and exposing himself while looking directly at her and screamed. A member of railway staff came to the victim’s aid and Shoesmith moved down the carriage before getting off the train at Burgess Hill.
Shoesmith, who has previously been jailed in 2018 for three years for Exposure and Sexual Assault and again for two years and four months in 2024 for breaching his SHPO and Exposure, was linked to these two offences while he was in prison.
Shoesmith was arrested at HMP Five Wells on Thursday 6 November 2025 and taken to custody for questioning. In interview he admitted to both incidents and later pleaded guilty before being sentenced to a further 10 months' imprisonment.
BTP Detective Constable Ewen Roberts said:
"Shoesmith has repeatedly targeted lone women on the railway in deliberate and horrific acts. His behaviour, repeated time and again, is completely unacceptable and I'm pleased he’s back behind bars.
"There is absolutely no place for sexual offending on the rail network, and we're committed to securing justice for anyone who is targeted by the likes of Shoesmith.
"I'd urge anyone who experiences or witnesses a sexual offence on a train or at a station to report it to us by texting 61016. We take every report seriously, and will stop at nothing to put offenders before the courts.