Asylum Seeker Saw Two Female Students Sleeping on an Overnight Coach, Then Secretly Carried Out His Horrifying Acts While They Slept

A father has been jailed after sexually assaulting two female students while they were sleeping on an overnight coach travelling from London to Liverpool.

Kamalathasan Yogarajah, 42, was travelling on a National Express coach when he targeted the two women, who were international students and did not know him. The court heard that he had been drinking before the incidents happened.

The coach was travelling overnight from London Victoria to Liverpool ONE bus station in April 2025. Yogarajah was originally sitting somewhere else on the coach, but during the journey he moved closer to where the two women were sitting.

Prosecutors said he appeared to notice that the women were tired and sleeping before moving towards them.

One of the women woke up and discovered Yogarajah touching her leg. His hand was moving upwards towards the top of her boot. When he realised she was awake, he stopped touching her but continued staring at her without much expression on his face.

The woman became frightened and eventually moved to another seat. She later told the court that the experience left her feeling vulnerable and unsafe.

She said one of the most frightening parts was not knowing what Yogarajah was thinking while he continued staring at her. She also struggled with the fact that she had been asleep when some of the incident happened, meaning she could not know exactly what had taken place before she woke up.

The woman said the experience continued to affect her afterwards. She sometimes blamed herself for falling asleep, even though she knew that sleeping did not give anyone permission to touch her.

She said people should be able to use public transport without being afraid that someone will take advantage of them while they are vulnerable.

The second woman also woke up during the journey and discovered Yogarajah sexually touching her over her skirt.

She told him that he needed to leave, but he initially refused and continued staring at her. He eventually moved to another seat after she repeated her demand.

The second victim said the incident left her feeling sadness and disgust. She said ordinary journeys on public transport could bring back memories of what happened.

She also questioned what might have happened if she had remained asleep. She said she should have been able to sleep during the journey without worrying about someone sexually assaulting her.

When the coach finally arrived in Liverpool city centre, Yogarajah was reported to the driver. Police attended and arrested him.

During a police interview, Yogarajah accepted that his hand had made physical contact with one of the women but claimed it happened accidentally while he was sleepy and changing his sleeping position.

He was later expected to attend court for his trial on August 13 but failed to appear. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he appeared in court the following day.

The court heard that Yogarajah is originally from Sri Lanka and was an asylum seeker. His lawyer said he had permission to remain in the UK while an appeal against an asylum decision was being considered.

His defence also said he had qualifications and had previously worked abroad. While in custody, he had taken part in an alcohol misuse awareness course.

Yogarajah eventually admitted two counts of sexual assault as well as breaching his court bail.

The judge strongly criticised his behaviour, saying he had acted in a “predatory fashion” towards the two women.

The judge said Yogarajah had changed his position on the coach after noticing that the women were sleepy or asleep and then sexually assaulted them while they were vulnerable.

The court also heard that the women were effectively trapped on the coach during the journey and could not simply leave the situation.

The judge said the assaults may have continued for longer if the women had not woken up.

The court was told that both women continued to suffer emotionally and psychologically because of what happened to them.

The judge also noted that there were two victims, both assaults happened during the same journey, and Yogarajah had been drinking at the time.

Yogarajah was sentenced to 28 months in prison. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.