From the British Transport Police
press release:
A teenager has been given an eight-month detention and training order after a vicious assault with a glass bottle left a train driver bleeding and in need of stitches.
A 17-year-old youth from Croydon appeared at Croydon Youth Court on Thursday, 15 November, where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) at an earlier hearing.
The incident, in which a train driver was struck on the head from behind with a glass beer bottle, took place at 5.12am of Saturday, 23 June at Guildford rail station.
The court heard that around 4am, staff at the station noticed two young men board a stationary train which they were not permitted to do.
A short time later, when a South West Trains driver asked the two youths to leave the train so it could be moved, they became abusive.
The member of staff continued with his duties and the pair followed him and continued their verbal abuse, following him onto the platform.
Moments later, whilst the driver was talking to other members of staff, one of the youths walked up behind him and struck him with a glass bottle to the back of the head.
The pair then ran away from the station, but officers managed to identify and arrest one of the youths close to the scene with the help of CCTV▸ and eyewitnesses.
Following the attack, the driver, a 51-year-old man from Hampshire, was taken to the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford were he was treated for multiple cuts to the top and side of his head, as well as a laceration 3cm deep which required several stitches.
The culprit, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was identified through DNA swabs taken from the remains of the bottle, and footage of him entering and leaving the station.
No action was taken against the second man, who was initially arrested in connection with the incident.
Detective Constable Matt Bevan, who led the investigation, said: ^The glass bottle shattered on impact which shows the weapon used was thrust at the driver with significant force. This was a sickening attack on a member of staff who was just doing his job.
^Members of rail staff have the right not to feel threatened at their place of work, and the train driver in this instance was lucky not to suffer a more serious injury.^
A South West Trains spokesperson said: ^It is totally unacceptable for people to display this kind of behaviour towards our staff when they are simply trying to do their job.
"We are relieved that our driver was not more seriously injured as a result of this attack and we are pleased that the British Transport Police managed to track down the individual responsible."
