British Transport Police‘s Chief Superintendent, Chris Casey, has called the ableist and homophobic attack on lesbian comedian Rosie Jones and queer TV presenter Lee Peart “absolutely abhorrent.”
Casey, one of London’s most senior openly gay police officers, stated, “hate has no place on our railways – or anywhere else.” Jones and Peart were travelling together on a train service from Brighton to London when the incident occured. Three passengers mocked their voices and threw wine at them. The British Transport Police (BTP) have launched an investigation.
Writing for The Standard, Casey outlined any form of abuse “is utterly abhorrent and will not be tolerated by the British Transport Police.”
Casey highlighted that Peart and Jones used the BTP text number (61016). Officers met them, ensured they got home safely, and launched an investigation into the offenders.
“When I joined BTP in 2006, I remember reporting a homophobic hate crime I’d experienced at a major city station. At the time, it was the only one on record.
“I knew I couldn’t be the only one – it just wasn’t being reported. That experience has stayed with me and shaped how I lead today.
Casey goes on to note that hate crimes, like what happened to Peart and Jones, are sadly on the rise.
‘we continue to treat hate crime with the seriousness it deserves’
Home Office figures published on Thursday (9 October) show in the year ending March 2025 there were a total of 115,990 hate crime offences, up from 113,166 the year previous year, which marks a two per cent increase.
Notably, these figures exclude the Met Police due to a change in the way in which the force’s data is recorded, hence its numbers are excluded from year-on-year comparisons. Because the Met Police covers the UK’s largest LGBTQ+ population (London), its exclusion likely under-represents national totals for LGBTQ+ hate crime.
“Racial hate crime [remains] the most prevalent and other passengers targeted on account of their gender, sexuality or disability,” Casey also added.
“There’s no doubt that we, like forces nationally, are trying to do more with less.
“Despite this, we continue to treat hate crime with the seriousness it deserves.
“I’m glad that we’re a force made up of different people of all races and creeds, and that our people are free to be who they are at work. I want the same to be true for everyone using the rail network.”
Furthermore, this week (11th to 18th October) marks National Hate Crime Awareness Week. This year’s campaign is focused around “encouraging reporting of hate crime to the police and authorities.”
“Rosie and Lee’s experience is a timely reminder of its importance,” Casey also said of National Hate Crime Awareness Week.
“Another campaign objective is about strengthening our operational response to these incidents.
“Every report to us – whether speaking to an officer or texting us on 61016 – helps us build intelligence that can be shared with partners like TfL, influence targeted patrols and operations, and make arrests.
“I know how important this week is to anyone who has found themselves a victim,” Casey concluded. “I hope this year’s week of awareness will help educate and empower people to know that hate has no place on our railways – or anywhere else.”
If you need to contact the British Transport Police to report a crime, text 61016 or call 0800405040. In an emergency, call 999.
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