Man arrested following incident on Shrewsbury to Birmingham train
A man has been arrested after assaulting a conductor and another passenger on board a train at Wellington station.
The conductor was assaulted on the 18:47 Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street service at around 7pm on Saturday after he asked a passenger who refused to buy a ticket to leave the service at the next stop.
Investigating officer PC Kirk Smith said: “When he refused to leave the train, the man became aggressive towards the conductor and assaulted him. Some passengers then intervened and helped usher the man off the train at Wellington, during which one of the passengers was also assaulted.
“This was a nasty incident, exacerbated by the man’s unpredictable and aggressive reaction to what was a perfectly reasonable request.
“Not only was the conductor assaulted while simply trying to carry out his job, but a passenger who came to his aid was also subjected to a totally unprovoked attack. This was a frightening and intimidating experience for both victims, as well as the other passengers on the train.”
PC Smith added: “We have already spoken to the victims but are appealing for anyone else who was on the train or at the station at the time to come forward.
“If you were on the service or at Wellington station around the time of the incident on Saturday, I would ask you to contact police as a matter of urgency.”
A 45-year-old man from Birmingham has been arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm. He has been interviewed and released on police bail, pending further enquiries, until 6 February.
Witnesses with any information that could assist police with their enquiries are asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B12/WQA of 15/01/2012.
Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
