Millionaire businesswoman abandoned on Tube platform by staff after 'traumatising' assault

3 April 2025, 08:53 | Updated: 3 April 2025, 09:41

The millionaire businesswoman has called for an urgent safety review by TfL after the emergency Help Point failed in a central London station.

Sally Wynter was "violently" assaulted while travelling on the London Underground and was help abandoned for 30 minutes after the emergency Help Point failed.

Ms Wynter was traveling home on the Victoria Line last Thursday when a man "knocked her sideways" into the train's glass window.

She said she was "completely in bits" after the "frightening" attack.

“I ended up standing there in that spot for about half an hour, and no one stopped voluntarily,” Mrs Wynter told The Standard.

“Everyone knows something’s happening. Like, someone (myself) was bawling their eyes out on the train.”

Ms Wynter is a businesswoman who sold her alcohol brand, MUHU, five years ago in a £1 million deal.

Ms Wynter got out at Oxford Circus tube stop and hit the Help Point emergency button at least four times, hoping to catch the attacker - but she got no reply.

She told the newspaper: "There were tears streaming down my face and I actually talked to two old ladies to ask them for some tissues."

"That phases me as a sad reflection on the lack of care we have for each other as human beings in a big city like London."

Ms Wynter called 999 to report the incident, and the British Transport Police (BTP) informed her that the suspect matched the description of someone who had gone on to kick a child at the Green Park ticket hall.

A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of assault on Wednesday following the incident just after 4:30pm on March 27.

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After taking to social media to call on TfL, the transport provider contacted Ms Wynter.

In her TikTok, she said: "It is difficult to have confidence (in TfL and the police) when there have been multiple failings.

"I do worry that if it had been another person who hadn't got over a million views on social media they would have had the same response."

The businesswoman used social media to call on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to review all of the railway Help Points in Britain.

An Office of Rail and Road audit found a quarter of stations had at least one help machine reported at broken in 2024.

A BTP spokesman told The Standard: "A man in his 30s from the South Norwood area has been arrested on suspicion of assault, following an incident on a Victoria Line train on 27 March. He remains in police custody.

"We continue to appeal to witnesses or anyone with information to get in touch by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040 quoting reference 523 of 27 March."

TfL’s Director for Security, Policing and Enforcement, Siwan Hayward, said: "Safety is our top priority and we are truly sorry for the experience that Ms Wynter had seeking help at one of our stations.

"It must have been very distressing and it should not have happened. Everyone should feel safe when travelling on our network. If anyone is a victim or witness of a crime they should be able to access help and support straight away.

"We train our staff to support customers and to help report incidents to the police. We are investigating as a matter of urgency why Ms Wynter did not get the help she should have and have reached out to her to offer support."

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The Mayor's thoughts are with Sally Wynter following the incident she experienced on the London Underground last week. Everyone should be and feel safe in London. The British Transport Police are investigating and an arrest has been made. The Mayor urges anyone with information to get in touch with them.

"All passengers who use the TfL network deserve to be and feel safe, with complete confidence that if things do go wrong, help is always available. In most cases, TfL staff serve Londoners incredibly well, taking deep pride in delivering an excellent service and supporting customers when needed, including in complex and sometimes distressing situations."