Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Procurement, was on a train home from filming Question Times in Bristol, when he saw two drunk passengers confront a member of staff
A minister has praised his fellow passengers for joining forces to stop an assault on a train guard.
Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Procurement, was on a train home from filming Question Times in Bristol, when he saw two drunk passengers confront a member of staff who’d asked for their tickets. Speaking to The Sunday Mirror, Mr Pollard explained how he and others on the train then stepped in to protect the train worker.
He said: “After a stop or so, a drunk couple got on and when the train manager approached them for their train ticket, they started kicking off at the train manager and started pushing him.
“Together with other passengers we said stop, don’t do that, and they reacted aggressively and started pushing the train manager, other passengers and having you go at me. He was getting pushed around, I had my water bottle in front of me taken off me and someone tried to swing it at my head.
“Thanks to the amazing work of not just the train crew, but some of the off-duty train staff from both Cross country and Great Western Railway that were on board at the time, we managed to stop the train manager getting pushed, and call the police.”
Mr Pollard, the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, claimed the couple had also pulled the emergency cords, meaning the train was in the middle of a field when police arrived.
He continued: “People should be able to do their jobs without being attacked and I’m just really glad that myself, other passengers and the train crew were able to stop the train guard being abused in this way.
“What was really nice is that everyone around us in the carriage did something that made a difference. It’s just just not acceptable to see that taking place, and I think you’ve got a choice when that’s happening right in front of you.
“You can sit on your hands, or you can step up and intervene and it wasn’t just me that did that. It shouldn’t happen, but it seems to happen to train guards, and train managers more frequently than in the past, and that’s not good enough.”
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “British Transport Police (BTP) is investigating an incident reported at 9.06pm on 12 February involving a disruptive passenger on a train travelling to Plymouth.
“Officers attended and met the service at Worle railway station, where a 32‑year‑old woman was removed from the train and arrested on suspicion of assault, causing a public nuisance, and a public order offence. She was subsequently taken into custody where she remains.”