Woman who recorded man pleasuring himself on train is facing bigger fine than him
A woman who previously recorded a stranger allegedly masturbating on public transport and sexually harassing her is facing a larger fine than the accused offender, The Metro has reported.
Natacha Bras, a French woman, was traveling from the town of to Poitiers from Paris, when she noticed a man moving closer to her. He stared at her and began and suddenly began engaging in onanism right in front of her. Perturbed, Bras recorded the alarming act on her smartphone, before getting off at her stop and contacted the police.
Check out Natacha's video of the incident below:
However, not long after she filed an official report, Ms Bras, (vice president of MoiAussiAmnesie; a support group for victims of sexual assault who suffer from selective memory impairments as a result of their abuse) was charged for allegedly violating the man's privacy.
As a result of this, she is now required to pay a fine of €45,000, while the man who was seemingly pleasuring himself can only expect to fork out a maximum sum of €15,000.
Natacha now claims that she intends to file a complaint against the man, who she says she only filmed because she felt threatened by his behaviour. She also says that he attempted to follow her into the train toilets at one point.
Representatives of the train line have apologised to Ms Bras, with spokesperson writing to her on Twitter to say: "I understand your concern and regret these difficult travel conditions. Also, if this happens again, do not hesitate to report it to the Chief of Flight or to contact the SNCF emergency service."
Replying to other social media followers who expressed outrage over the fine, Natacha later tweeted: "Thanks for your support. The police have opened an investigation against this man. I hope everything will be fine for me. The law is ridiculous."
If you or anyone else you know has been affected by the issues raised in this article, then please don't hesitate to consult Rape Crisis for support and further advice about sexual harassment and assault.
This article first appeared on VT.co and was shared with permission