Mordi Collins Chukwunonso, a 40-year-old man of no fixed address, was convicted of sexual assault after targeting a 17-year-old girl on a train journey from St Helens Central Station to Liverpool Lime Street.
The incident occurred when the victim was waiting alone at the station. Chukwunonso approached her and engaged her in conversation. Although they boarded the train separately, he sought her out in an otherwise deserted carriage and sat opposite her. According to prosecutor Zahra Baqri, he asked intrusive questions about where she lived and suggested he could come and live with her. He further invited her to join him in the train toilets or go back to his place. Despite her refusals, CCTV footage captured him stroking her leg at least twice, moving his hand up to the top of her thigh. The victim felt intimidated, frightened, and very uncomfortable, prompting her to leave the train early at Edge Hill Station. In a quick act of bravery, she took a photograph of her assailant on her mobile phone before disembarking.
In a victim impact statement read to Liverpool Crown Court, the girl described the lasting effects: 'I can no longer get on the train without feeling anxious. Any time I do, I have to get on a train full of people. I no longer feel safe on my own. I'm constantly worried about my surroundings, and this makes me feel very anxious.' The photograph she took proved crucial in identifying Chukwunonso.
Chukwunonso's trial was marked by disruptive behaviour. He sacked his legal counsel twice, refused to return to court midway through the proceedings, and was ultimately convicted in his absence by a unanimous jury verdict on one count of sexual assault. He has three previous convictions for four offences, including a six-month sentence in 2024 for malicious communications after making 12 abusive and threatening phone calls to Greater Manchester Police's control room at Manchester Airport. In those calls, he used vile language and threatened to stab officers to death, claiming any actions against him would be in self-defence.
During sentencing on Friday at Liverpool Crown Court, representing himself, Chukwunonso vehemently denied the charges, repeatedly asserting that 'everything that's been said in this courtroom is false and untrue' and 'I don't go around talking to young girls.' He claimed the CCTV footage was doctored using artificial intelligence and insisted he had no previous convictions, despite court records proving otherwise. He argued his conviction was unlawful, stating 'I wasn't convicted by any jury and there's no evidence of any sexual assault.' Judge Gary Woodhall dismissed these claims, noting Chukwunonso's fixation on procedural matters and lack of remorse. The judge described the behaviour as indicative of a sexual interest in the victim, who was wearing leggings, and highlighted how Chukwunonso had commented on liking the feel of them while touching her.
Chukwunonso was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, received a 10-year sexual harm prevention order restricting his behaviour on public transport, and was required to sign the sex offenders' register for a decade. The case was reported by the Liverpool Echo, with Crown Court reporter Adam Everett covering the proceedings.