A year-long British Transport Police investigation into three commuters who confronted a man after he exposed himself on a packed District Line train has been dropped, after the Crown Prosecution Service refused to authorise charges against them. The men had come forward voluntarily to give their account of the August 2025 incident, in which they were filmed grappling with the half-naked man, who swore at them, swung his belt at them and ignored repeated calls to cover himself up in front of children. The case drew criticism after BTP repeatedly described the man as the victim of an "assault", prompting accusations that police had lost sight of who the real wrongdoer was.

The man, who was later sectioned under the Mental Health Act after being arrested by an off-duty officer and taken to hospital, had dropped his trousers and put his belt round his neck while shouting on the train between Upton Park and East Ham. The CPS said there was "no realistic prospect of conviction" and confirmed no further action would be taken, 13 months after the incident. Former police officer Harry Miller welcomed the decision, calling the prolonged inquiry "very disturbing", while BTP's Assistant Chief Constable Charlie Doyle defended the investigation as appropriate given the vulnerability of the man, who remains in hospital care.