It’s amazing how passive people can be these days in a big city like London, but you would still expect them to come to the aid of a 23-year-old girl if she was being assaulted on the Tube in the middle of the evening.

Well, apparently not, according to Scarlett Owens’s teary-eyed TikTok the other day:

@scarlettowens0♬ original sound – Scarlett Owens

Scarlett was travelling from London to Liverpool around 8pm to meet up with her family, when the incident took place. She was on the Northern line when a man got on and ‘booted’ her in the leg, for absolutely no reason. She said the man, who she has never seen before, started shouting at her but she wasn’t able to understand him due to his ‘strong foreign accent’. Then she started crying as the rest of the passengers on the Tube sat there uselessly.

Scarlett from Tooting, south London, said:

‘I was just sitting on my own. It was not busy when this guy gets on the train and boots me in the leg and starts shouting at me for no reason. When the train started moving, he walked down the train a little and continued to verbally harass me. I got a bruise on my leg from it.’

OK, so it wasn’t a busy carriage, but surely whoever was there could have said or done something, ideally in tandem with another passenger or two. How about the guy sat literally opposite her? Nope:

‘No one came to see if I was okay. I made eye contact with a guy opposite me, and he just shrugged. I don’t expect anyone to do anything because it happened so quickly, and I get no one wants to get involved, but even after it happened everyone acted like it was normal.’

Scarlett said the man continued to verbally abuse her until he got off the Tube ‘a few stops’ later:

‘I don’t even know how long it went on for, I was completely frozen, and it was a whirlwind. I couldn’t understand what he was saying because he had a strong foreign accent. He did not seem drunk as he was very composed and did not slur at all. When I got off the train, I just went straight to my flat (in Liverpool), acting normal but in total shock. My family were shocked and saddened to hear about the incident. I was cautious to go on public transport alone anyway, but now I feel even more so.’

How sad. Apparently British Transport Police are investigating the incident, but it would have been nice if a hero had turned up in the moment and given this lunatic a beatdown in the carriage. Who knows, they could have even got Scarlett’s number after saving the day. Not that this should be the motivation, but it would have been a nice little bonus. In the end, no one had the balls to even try. Couldn’t anyone even sneak a little photo of the guy while he was busy abusing Scarlett?

Of course, I can also understand why people would be reluctant to help a stranger when you hear about all the stabbings and violence in general in London. There’s no use trying to save the day when you’re just going to end up a victim yourself, is there? Not to mention – you could also end up in trouble with the police if things turn physical and you get the upper hand! That’s no good, is it?

Well anyway, hopefully British Transport Police can track this guy down and take appropriate action. Here’s hoping Scarlett recovers from her ordeal and other young women take note and keep their heads on a swivel when travelling on the London Underground.

P.S. Let’s not forget that sometimes Londoners are more than happy to help, as seen by this racist clown getting stomped out on the Tube a few months back. That’s the spirit!