Tiago Afonso, who carried out the assaults at Thetford station, was only caught after CCTV footage showed him abusing the victim as he slept.Thetford Train Station (Image: Geograph/David Howard) The 41-year-old factory picker appeared at Norwich Crown Court where he was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
The court was told the victim, who had been drinking, had been on a train with his wife but got off thinking she had also done so.
In fact, she had gone to the toilet, leaving him at the station alone.
He went to a nearby pub and had more to drink, before returning to the station and falling asleep on a bench.
Matthew Sorel-Cameron, prosecuting, said Afonso approached the sleeping victim before sexually assaulting him “on at least six occasions”.
He said Afonso “touched”, “grabbed”, “felt” and “rubbed” the victim’s genitals over his clothing.
The victim remained asleep and unaware until finally waking, at which point Afonso told him he had a “nice c**k” to hold.
Afonso left but was arrested for the sexual assault on May 14, 2022, after CCTV was checked and following an appeal for information.
Tiago Afonso leaving court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) Afonso, of Pratt Street in Soham, appeared at the crown court – sitting at Norwich Magistrates Court – on Tuesday after being found guilty of sexual assault by touching following a two-day trial at King’s Lynn Crown Court in January.
King’s Lynn Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)
Before Afonso was sentenced, the victim read out a statement describing the impact of the “disgusting” attack on him.
He said he had never previously considered himself as vulnerable or as someone who might be sexually assaulted but had felt “emasculated” as a result of what happened.
The victim said he has since stopped travelling by train and worries about his children and stepchildren and what might happen to them as a result of the “predators out there”.
The victim said he has split from his wife following the offence after which he went on a “drink and drug fuelled bender” to try and deal with what had happened.
The victim, who became tearful as he read out his statement, said he had been taken advantage of when he was vulnerable and would be trying to deal with this for the “rest of my life”.
Oliver Haswell, mitigating, said Afonso, who came to the UK from Portugal in 2013 with his wife, had not been in trouble before or since this offence.
He said Afonso had suffered as a result of the conviction because his wife, from whom he is separated, had taken steps to prevent him seeing his two children.
Mr Haswell said Afonso had also lost work as a result, having suffered ridicule, although he was still working having found a job as a picker in a factory in Soham.
He said Afonso was a hard working man, here legally, who had battled to stay in employment and who wanted to rekindle that relationship with his children.
In imposing a suspended sentence Recorder Douglas Herbert said it was a “serious offence” which clearly had a psychological impact on the victim who had suffered a breakdown in his relationship since the offence.
Afonso was also ordered to do 20 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) and 150 hours unpaid work and was also put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
