A man using a London rail service has been handed a six-month station ban following an abusive tirade against staff, during which he threatened them and jumped onto the railway line.
Incident at Sittingbourne Station
The confrontation began in February at Sittingbourne station in Kent when railway staff asked the man to stop smoking. He responded aggressively, saying, "What are you gonna do?" When asked to show his ticket, he retorted, "You think you can detain me? You've gone mad, brother."
As the situation escalated, he threatened one staff member, saying, "I'll find out where you live, mate." He made gestures suggesting possible violence and, when asked to leave the station, swiped back, "What are you gonna do if I don't?" He then climbed onto the rail tracks.
Identification and Ban
The incident was captured on body-worn cameras, which helped identify the man from a previous alleged incident against staff two weeks earlier. Southeastern issued him with a six-month station ban under the Railway Behaviour Notices system, which is being rolled out across the country's rail network.
Response from Southeastern
Scott Brightwell, safety, planning and performance director at Southeastern Railway, said: "The overwhelming majority of people who use our railway do so respectfully. We will carry more than 138 million journeys this year, with customer satisfaction at 87%, and we will always take firm action against the small minority whose behaviour affects others."
In the last year, 105 people have been formally warned or banned from Southeastern’s network for abusive or anti-social behaviour. Mr Brightwell added: "Railway Behaviour Notices give us an early way to tackle repeat offending."
Crackdown on Anti-Social Behaviour
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group highlighted that more train companies will be using Railway Behaviour Notices in a crackdown on repeat anti-social conduct. The orders ban people from stations for up to a year, and breaking them risks arrest for trespass.
RDG chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: "Railway Behaviour Notices help create immediately safer conditions for customers and frontline colleagues by banning individuals from the network who have shown they cannot use the railway responsibly."
Rail minister Lord Hendy, a former Transport Commissioner for London, added: "Everyone deserves to feel safe when they travel, and nobody should have to tolerate abuse or anti-social behaviour on our railways."
