Erin was brought to tears by the sickening acts of a stranger who sat with her on a tram – but it’s what the other passengers did that left her truly frightened about being a young woman in Australia

A young woman burst into tears as she recalled the disgusting moment she was harassed and spat on by a man on a tram, while bystanders did nothing to help her.

Erin Batchelor posted a message TikTok about the shocking incident that occurred on a weekday afternoon in Melbourne.

Mrs Batchelor stated that the man had boarded the tram and then sat down in a seat less than three metres away from her.

She said she distrusted him from the beginning, but that she “didn’t want to judge a book by its cover.”

“I kept an eye on him, but you could tell he was so stoned he was just talking to himself,” Batchelor said.

‘He grabbed a full bottle of red wine, started sipping it and then spat the wine out onto the floor, making all sorts of noises.’

She said the man came up to her and tried to take her phone, which she was holding tightly.

She remembers looking at him but saying nothing because she was terrified.

Mrs Batchelor said the man was sitting in the seat in front of her and when she tried to move over he stuck his leg out to stop her.

She explained how she stepped over him and walked to the back of the tram with two other terrified female passengers. The man followed them and then spoke to another woman.

“He started talking really aggressively and swearing and I started shaking and I tried to hold it in,” Batchelor said.

She said the man followed her as she got off the tram, after which something even more shocking happened.

“He spat on me and I felt so disgusted about it,” she said.

The other woman had also gotten off the tram and offered her napkins and wet wipes to clean herself.

However, she said there were many other people on board who were unable to provide assistance.

“There were all these men sitting there doing nothing, which is also very frustrating, especially when you see a young woman like me and another young woman feeling so uncomfortable,” Ms Batchelor said.

Erin Batchelor (pictured) was left traumatised by the recent incident on a Melbourne tram when she was harassed and spat on by a male passenger

Mrs Batchelor said the ordeal left her feeling “helpless”.

“You have no idea what this person is planning, and the people around you are either scared or not helping you at all,” she said.

‘I don’t understand why people don’t try to help others if they can.

“It’s just so frustrating when things like this happen, and especially when women don’t feel safe. And then it’s on a random Wednesday afternoon at two o’clock, during the day, with so many people around.”

Ms Batchelor concluded her video by saying the incident could have been worse.

“I just want to express my frustrations and make people aware that they need to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings,” she said.

Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia the incident had not been reported.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Batchelor and Yarra Trams for comment.