Man masturbating in St. Gallen bus: female students file complaint
Two female students were sexually harassed in a St. Gallen public bus. On Monday, fellow students detained the suspect until police arrived.
Female students sexually harassed on bus – man held by fellow passengers
According to 20 Minuten, a 21-year-old student only noticed what had happened during the journey when she was leaving a bus in St. Gallen. "When I got off, I noticed semen on my trousers," she says. She concluded that the man who had been standing directly next to her must have been masturbating.
The incident occurred on bus line 9, which the student regularly takes to university. At 8 a.m. the bus is usually full, the man had appeared inconspicuous and stood very close to her. Because of the crowding, she had initially noticed nothing suspicious.
According to the 21-year-old, two of her friends also had similar experiences on the same bus. One of them had already reported the man to police a week earlier.
Fellow passengers intervene
The third victim, a 19-year-old, was on the bus the following Monday when the man boarded at the station. "At first I didn't think anything of it when he stood close to me," she recounts. But the man had moved so close that his stomach touched her legs. "The situation was extremely uncomfortable for me."
When getting off, the 19-year-old noticed that the man's trousers were open. She held him by his rucksack. Three other students helped her to keep the man restrained until police arrived.
Criticism of authorities' handling
Both female students criticise the police for not taking their accounts seriously enough. They were merely told the man would probably receive a fine. "In future, such incidents should be preventable," says the 19-year-old.
The St. Gallen cantonal police confirm on request that there was an operation on the bus line in question on Monday. "Investigations are now underway," a spokesman states. The public prosecutor will decide what consequences the man faces after the investigation is concluded.
Source: 20 Minuten