Shrewsbury station attacker handed suspended sentence
A Shropshire man who threw another man against a moving train has been handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Daniel Peter Worgan, aged 24, of Hadley Road, Oakengates, Telford, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court today after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to endangering the safety of persons on the railway.
He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and was put on a three-month curfew between the hours of 8pm and 6am.
The court heard that on Friday, 29 July 2011, the victim – a 23-year-old man from Wigmore in Leominster - had been out celebrating a friend’s birthday and had returned with his friends to Shrewsbury railway station to catch a train home.
While waiting on the platform, two women in the group started receiving unwanted attention from Worgan and some of his friends.
An argument ensued between the two groups and it was at this point a large freight train pulled in to the platform.
Moments later, as the train was pulling away, Worgan lunged into the middle of the group where he grabbed hold of the victim before swinging him around 180 degrees and throwing him towards the moving train.
The victim hit the train and fell down onto the platform, with part of his body hanging over the edge between the platform and the moving train.
A friend of the victim’s then ran forward and pulled him back from the platform edge and away from the train.
Police attended shortly afterwards where Worgan was identified to officers and arrested. A British Transport Police (BTP) investigation was then launched.
In interview, Worgan claimed he feared that he was going to be attacked and acted in self-defence. He admitted stepping towards the victim and throwing him towards the train but stated this was done to prevent any attack.
He also claimed he did not know there was a train passing through the platform at the time, adding that the first he knew of it was when the victim hit the train.
The victim suffered muscle damage to his lower back and cuts to his right arm and hand as a result of the attack.
As well being given a suspended sentence, Worgan was also ordered to pay the victim £500 compensation and £250 prosecution costs.
Sergeant Karl Anderson, officer in charge at BTP Shrewsbury, said: “This was a deliberate, violent and totally reckless act which resulted in the victim being inches from death.
“Worgan stated he felt threatened, yet he was the aggressor and actually pulled the victim from his group before throwing him towards the train.
“These are not the actions of a person in fear of his own safety.
“It is clear through the injuries suffered and the trauma of the ordeal that this incident has had a substantial impact on the victim, who stated afterwards that he thought he was about to die.
“Good quality CCTV at the station, which showed the incident from start to finish, helped us quickly view the attack and left Worgan with no option but to plead guilty.”
