Bottom groping millionaire avoids jail

A millionaire businessman who groped a young woman’s bottom on a packed Tube carriage in front of her stunned boyfriend was let-off with a 12 month community order.

James Froomberg, 62, pressed up against the petite brunette on the Central Line after she got on at Holborn on May 1 this year.

The Cambridge graduate was told by a passenger: ‘I have seen what you’re doing and it’s disgusting’.

He left the train at Mile End but the woman’s boyfriend went after him and held him until police arrived, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.

Froomberg’s wife sat in the public gallery for his sentencing today, in support of her husband.

Karl Volz, prosecuting, read out a statement from the victim, in it Froomberg’s victim said: ‘I still find the incident upsetting, I find it hard to travel on the tube.

‘I leave early when travelling to avoid crowded tubes.

‘I am more self conscious.

‘I hope he will never be in the position to do this to anyone else.’

Before the incident occurred Froomberg had attended a boozy business meeting, lasting some five hours, at the Hamilton Hall pub at Liverpool Street station in the City.

He admitted washing down his steak and chips lunch with up to two bottles of white wine

Froomberg, who received a police caution for soliciting prostitution in 2005, denied groping the woman and claimed he was asleep while standing up on the train.

He said he could not remember anything after leaving the pub until he was awoken by someone shouting at him at Mile End station.

But he was convicted of sex assault by the jury of seven men and five women after two hours of deliberations.

Earlier the victim told jurors: ‘I felt that there was someone a bit too close to me so I sort of moved over and I felt that there was someone touching me on my butt, my arse, my bum – I can’t think of another word.

‘I thought it might be someone’s bag so tried to mover and then I felt that someone was still touching me and it felt deliberate, it was making me uncomfortable.

‘It was sort of stroking me, just repeatedly running his hand over me. I felt the hand squeeze me at one point.

‘There wasn’t really much space to move because it was quite packed.’

Giving evidence her boyfriend said: ‘I started saying it was not appropriate and things like that. I lost my temper, I am not proud of it.

‘The train door opened and we ushered the gentleman off the train, no force but just my hand on his back.

‘I then followed him off the train and looked for a TfL member because I didn’t want him to get away or walk away – if it wasn’t for me he would have just walked out of the station.

‘Mr Froomberg just walked away calmly to try and get past us, he kept walking even though the TfL member was requesting him to stop.

‘I followed the TfL member who followed him up to the gate area where he was stopped by another staff member.

‘It was at that point that be bolted and tried to get out of the station. I caught up with him about ten yards to the right outside.

‘He was trying to push me out of the way, he didn’t swing at me but he was very intent on trying to get away.

‘But by using his collar and sleeve I was able to hold him in place. I then spent about 15 minutes with him in the street until the transport police arrived.’
James McCrindell defending told the court: ‘As a married man he has been with his wife for 41 years.

‘He has the good fortune to retain the very good support of his wife.

‘He is trying to support his two grown up daughters.

‘He brings it upon himself.

‘The consequences for him personally in terms of work and voluntary work is felt very deeply.’

Froomberg was appointed as a National Lottery Commissioner in January 2008 and spent five years sitting on the Commission’s Audit and Remuneration committees.

He was also a trustee of the Young Enterprise – a financial education charity which helps young people into business.

His CV includes membership of the government’s Casino Advisory Panel, the Commercial Director of British Waterways, the Director of Corporate Development at Wembley plc and a KPMG Partner, leading its UK leisure, tourism, property and PFI consultancy business.

The Cambridge graduate is also a former director of performance and innovation for City of London police.

Froomberg was given a community order of 12 months and was ordered to pay damages of £4000 to the victim, £2,400 costs, 250 hours unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement of 20 days and a three month curfew of 8pm to 7am.

Froomberg, of Heather Walk, Edgware, denied but was convicted of sexual assault.

ends