Sex predator takes advantage of Elizabeth line chaos to assault commuter on packed train while passengers were trapped in coaches for hours

A sexual predator allegedly groped a fellow passenger during chaos on the Elizabeth Line last night, taking advantage of the train being plunged into darkness.

Travelers were stranded in pitch dark and cold carriages for four hours after overhead cables were damaged in the Ladbroke Grove area of ​​west London.

And a police officer told passengers at the scene that there had been “several incidents” including detectives arresting one man on suspicion of sexual touching.

The officer added that the process of getting everyone off the train was delayed “because someone decided they wanted to fix someone up.”

Two people were injured as thousands of passengers, including James Blunt and Rachel Riley, were stuck on crowded trains during the evening rush hour without electricity.

A police officer at the scene near Ladbroke Grove in West London last night announced the arrest.

The officer said detectives arrested one man last night on suspicion of sexual touching.

Passenger Jacek Broniszewski tweeted a video of an officer telling frustrated passengers they would soon be evacuated to the nearby North Pole depot.

The officer said: “We didn’t just leave you, I appreciate that… unfortunately we had a few incidents. We had one arrest for sexual touching and things like that.

“So everything took longer than it should have because someone decided they wanted to fix someone.”

Accompanying the video, Mr Broniszewski said: “Stuck on an Elizabeth line train for three hours, we were promised ‘buses and taxis.’ Everything looked like official protocol.

Passengers walk along the tracks after being let off an Elizabeth Line train last night.

People descend onto the tracks near Paddington after being stuck on a train last night.

“After we were finally released, it turned out that no transport was provided and we were left alone. A complete mess. They also talked about arrests for “sexual touching.”

Mikey Worrall posted footage of passengers in the dark and said they were opening doors to get into the queue, adding: “The Mayor of London needs to sort this out.”

He said the rush hour service came to a standstill ahead of an hours-long wait in semi-darkness while the driver drip-feeded what little information they had to passengers.

Eventually, the backup battery providing heating and lighting died, leaving those on board in the dark for another hour and a half until evacuation came.

The power failure meant that the lights on the trains went out and the heating also did not work.

Countdown’s Rachel Riley was one of those stuck on the train at 6pm last night.

Passengers are walking after being evacuated from trains stranded on the Elizabeth Line last night.

MailOnline has contacted Scotland Yard and British Transport Police for further details of any arrests related to last night’s incident.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman told MailOnline: “We received a call at 7.38pm yesterday to reports of a large number of passengers being delayed on trains between Paddington and Ladbroke Grove in west London.

“We sent a number of staff to the scene, including an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.

“We treated two patients with minor injuries and released them at the scene.”

Passengers wait inside a train stuck on the Elizabeth Line amid chaotic scenes last night

Officials are helping passengers get off a train that was stuck on the Elizabeth Line last night.

It comes after alarming new TfL figures emerged last week that crime on the Tube was up 56 per cent in a year, fueled by a significant rise in thefts and robberies.

The number of crimes committed between April and September this year on the metro network was 10,836, compared to 6,924 for the same period in 2022.

The number of recorded thefts increased by 83 percent: from 2,935 in 2022 to 5,378 this year. The number of robberies increased by 107 percent, from 164 to 340.

Robbers are reportedly targeting young London Underground commuters for their expensive Canada Goose and North Face winter coats costing up to £1,500.