Man fined for threatening member of rail staff – Leeds

A 48-year-old man has been fined £500 for verbally abusing and threatening a member of rail staff at Leeds station.

Ashley Senior, of Noster Grove, Leeds, pleaded guilty to the offence at Leeds Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 28 July and was fined and sentenced to a three month community order with electronic curfew.

 

The court heard how on Saturday, 20 February this year at Leeds Station, Senior attempted to travel without a ticket. When he was asked by his victim, a member of Northern rail staff,  to buy a ticket Senior immediately reacted with aggression, insulting and shouting at him and threatening to jump the gates.

 

As Senior clenched his fist and threatened to assault his victim, the staff member walked away, fearing he was about to be hit, but Senior followed, lunging at him and  continuing his threats to ‘knock him out’.

 

Investigating officer PC Sorcha Cantwell-Crook said: “This was a frightening experience for the staff member who genuinely feared for his safety such were the gravity of Senior’s threats. No one should be threatened or made to fear for their welfare while simply doing their job.

“Any abuse of rail staff, either verbal of physical will never be tolerated”.

 

Tony Baxter, Regional Director at Northern, said: “Sadly, our staff are all too often confronted with threatening and violent behaviour while simply trying to do their job; a job which is focussed on helping our customers get where they need to be.

“As an industry, as we all continue to the feel the impact of coronavirus, we are asking all our customers and colleagues to be more considerate and kinder to each other. But, as this case shows, if people persist in behaving in a threatening, abusive or violent manner, we will do all we can to help British Transport Police bring them to justice.”