In 2019, the Offender Database recorded that Andrew Godman, 34, was jailed for three and a half years for the sexual assault of two schoolgirls on public transport. On appearing at Woolwich Crown Court on 19 August 2019, the defendant, of Salehurst Road, Brockley, South East London, was sentenced after a jury found him guilty of two counts of sexual assault. It was reported that Godman targeted both victims, aged 13, within a single hour while they were travelling on buses in the Lewisham and Eltham areas.
The investigation established the predatory nature of Godman’s conduct. The Metropolitan Police Roads and Transport Policing Command reported that on the afternoon of 15 November 2018, Godman boarded a Route 126 bus and sat next to a 13-year-old girl, blocking her into a window seat. The prosecution reported that he subjected the child to a sexual assault lasting thirty minutes, despite her repeated demands for him to stop. Shortly after, Godman boarded a Route 273 bus in Grove Park, where he was captured on CCTV groping a second 13-year-old victim for five minutes before she fled the vehicle at an earlier stop.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Godman’s denials forced his young victims to relive their trauma. Woolwich Crown Court heard that when shown CCTV evidence of the incidents, Godman admitted he was the man on the buses but claimed the allegations were made up. The investigation established that the defendant was identified within days of a media appeal after police published his image. Detective Constable Darren Barlow noted that the attacks were appalling and left both vulnerable girls shaken and distressed.
The Sentencing Judge noted the calculated way Godman trapped his victims in their seats to carry out prolonged assaults. For his actions in South East London, Godman was handed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence. The judge also implemented a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which specifically prohibits Godman from sitting next to or approaching any girl on public transport and bans him from using the two bus routes where the offences occurred.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the crimes reported in England, the status of Andrew Godman is as follows:
- Custodial Sentence: Three and a half years in prison (2019).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for life.
- SHPO Status: Active for 10 years (Prohibits approaching girls on transport and using routes 126 and 273).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court following a Metropolitan Police investigation.
- Criminal Record: Sexual assault of a child (2 counts).
- Origin: Salehurst Road, Brockley, Lewisham, London.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Godman is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by the police and the National Probation Service in London. Due to the nature of his conduct in Lewisham and Eltham, which involved stalking and trapping children on public transport, his management is subject to high-level scrutiny. Authorities state that his ten-year SHPO is a vital tool to ensure he is restricted from the transport networks he previously utilized to hunt for victims.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register for life, Godman must comply with all notification requirements regarding his identity and residence. Authorities state that his history of carrying out multiple assaults within an hour in South East London necessitates permanent vigilance. Any future attempt to sit next to minors on transport, enter prohibited bus routes, or engage in inappropriate behaviour will result in immediate arrest and a return to the prison system for further incarceration.
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