At around 6.30pm, a man sat down next to the victim and began a tirade of abuse that was witnessed by many other passengers.

Detective Constable Paul Miller, the investigating officer, said: “This was a busy train and we believe there will be a number of people who witnessed what took place. If you were on board the service at the time, we urge you to come forward as you may have information crucial to our investigation.”

If you recognise the man, please call 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016, quoting LUA/B5 of 13/03/14.

Image credit: British Transport Police