Troy Hamilton, 25, carried out the unprovoked attack on a member of staff at Willesden Junction station on July 4, Highbury Magistrates Court heard.

Hamilton, of Ranelagh Road, pushed 50-year-old Olufemi Oderinde to the floor and punched him four times to his head and body.

The 25-year-old admitted attacking Mr Oderinde as he left the platform at Willesden Junction tube station on July 4.

The court heard Hamilton approached the victim, who works for Transport for London, as he walked through the barriers.

He became hostile and started to use threatening and abusive language towards his victim before attacking him and walking away.

Police put out an appeal for information and Hamilton was identified.

Hamilton was given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay compensation costs of £250, a victim surcharge payment of £115 and court costs of £83.

He was also told to participate in a 40-day rehabilitation programme.

PC Noel Delpuech-Deasy from British Transport Police’s workplace violence unit, said: “Hamilton’s behaviour was totally unprovoked and utterly unacceptable. His nasty attack left his victim incredibly shaken but thankfully without any serious injuries.

“We’re absolutely committed to providing a safe environment for all passengers, rail staff, and officers - the railway network is a CCTV rich environment, and we deploy uniformed officers every day to patrol many stations on the network to reassure passengers.

“Whenever a staff member is assaulted, we will take action to ensure that offenders are brought before the court.”

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s head of transport policing, added: “Everyone has the right to go about their work without fear or intimidation, including our staff who work hard assisting our customers and keeping them safe.

“This was a shocking incident and we have worked with the police to bring the perpetrator to justice. We will not tolerate any form of abuse towards our staff. Any such incident is fully investigated and we always seek the strongest sentence possible.”