Jill Perrett tells of ordeal on a packed train at Thornbury in May which left her ‘terrified’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A woman who was sexually assaulted on a packed Melbourne train says she was compelled to speak out because “enough’s enough”.

Jill Perrett was assaulted by the man after they both boarded a city-bound train at Thornbury on 16 May, just after 9.30am.

The 49-year-old moved away from the offender several times during the ride but he continued to touch and stalk her, even after she got off at Flagstaff.

“He was touching me when I was standing on the train, he was behind me and touching me just under my buttocks, my leg and rubbing and pressing up against my back,” she said on Friday.

When Perrett found a seat, the man followed her and sat directly opposite, continuing to touch her leg.

She got off at Flagstaff and when he did too, she confronted him about following her.

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“He made some comment about giving me a lap dance or something along those lines,” she said.

Even as she got on the escalators, the “creepy” offender got on an adjacent escalator, staring at her as they went.

“It just kept escalating until I was actually quite terrified,” she said.

When she got to the concourse, Perrett told train staff and called police but the offender fled.

She said she wanted to speak out because “I don’t think women should feel like this”.

“[It was] terrifying. This was the middle of the day. I was really shocked.

“Especially over the last week; enough’s enough.”

Perrett was speaking after the rape and murder of a Melbourne woman, Eurydice Dixon, whose body was found in a Carlton reserve last week, sparking national outrage and a debate about gender-based violence.

“Any behaviour to women, any time of the day anywhere that’s not acceptable, we’ve got to call out these creeps.”

Victoria police released CCTV footage of a man they say could be able to assist them with their inquiries and urged him to hand himself in.

He was wearing a navy New York Yankees baseball cap, a navy baseball-style jacket with white sleeves and beige pants.