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Author Topic: Plymouth station stabbing: Murder investigation as man dies - 8 August 2017  (Read 6425 times)
SandTEngineer
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« on: August 09, 2017, 11:43:51 »

Didn't see this posted elsewhere so have added it just for information.  I had my car parked in the station car park and couldn't get it out until the cordon was lifted.  Talking to the station staff whilst waiting they told me it was a very nasty knife stabbing incident that took place in full view of several young children.

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There will be extra police officers on patrol at Plymouth Railway Station today (09/08/2017) following a fatal stabbing (08/08/2017).

Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of a man in 40s who was seriously injured on the concourse yesterday morning.

Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police and British Transport Police (BTP (British Transport Police)), which are jointly investigating the incident, will be at the station over the coming days.

Anyone who witnessed what happened is being urged to come forward.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Paul Langley, of BTP, said: “We are now asking anyone who may have been at Plymouth station and witnessed what happened to come forward and speak to us.

"Any information, no matter how small, could prove vital in our enquiries.

“Together with Devon and Cornwall Police, we will have extra officers in the area in the coming days, so please do speak to them if you have any concerns at all."

Providing reassurance to the public, he added: "Thankfully, assaults such as this are very rare and we are doing everything to establish what has happened.”

This morning the police cordon has been lifted and the station is operating as normal.

A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the death.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police by sending a text to 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 159 of 08/08/2017.

Alternatively, you can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
« Last Edit: August 09, 2017, 16:08:15 by SandTEngineer » Logged
ChrisB
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« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2017, 11:48:32 »

Also on the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) website here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-40862325?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_england&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=english_regions
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Pb_devon
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« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2017, 16:09:13 »

The cordon prevented access to the booking office and ticket macines, but a side entrance was utilised (where the red star was IIRC (if I recall/remember/read correctly)) for passenger access to platforms.  GWR (Great Western Railway) advised PAX to pay on the train, and accepted ticket collection codes. 
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2017, 17:12:44 »

I came through Plymouth station a couple of hours ago, fully reopened now.
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bobm
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« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2017, 13:11:16 »

An update from The Herald

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A man has been jailed for life for the frenzied and sudden knife attack which killed his friend in front of terrified passengers at Plymouth’s railway station.
Jamie Skinner, aged 29, will serve at least 22 years and six months for stabbing father-of-five Wayne Fenton at least 17 times – sending witnesses scattering in horror.

Skinner drove the man described as a “father figure” to the station before repeatedly slashing at him with a Stanley knife just before 10am on a busy August morning.
He later told police that they had argued in the car and Mr Fenton had threatened to kill his mother.
Skinner's barrister said the defendant did not want the personal nature of the row aired in public.
Judge Paul Darlow said: “This was a sustained, merciless and vicious attack on a defenceless man.”
 
Jamie Skinner will serve a minimum of 22 and a half years in prison (Image: BTP (British Transport Police))
Graphic CCTV (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) footage shown at Plymouth Crown Court showed the 49-year-old covered in blood staggering into the ticket hall while trying to fend off the blows.
Waiting passengers, including children, are visibly shocked before moving away.

A brave member of Great Western Railway staff, John Phare, managed to grab Skinner in a bear hug and pull him to the ground – where the attacker was restrained by colleagues and members of the public.
But it was too late for Mr Fenton, who died an hour later at hospital from massive blood loss.
The court was read emotional statements from family members, who left the courtroom while the horrific footage was shown.
 
Wayne Fenton sustained more than 40 stab wounds
Long-term partner Soraya Hester, mother of his two youngest children, said in a document read by an officer: “I cannot put into words the loss and the pain I feel and the way he suffered in those final moments. This will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Ms Hestor added: “The children do not know how their daddy died. How do I tell them what happened to their hero?”

Burly and tattooed Skinner, of Bodmin Road, Whitleigh, pleaded guilty to murder on August 8 on the first day of what would have been his trial.
Adam Vaitilingam, QC, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said that Skinner gave Mr Fenton a lift to the station so that he could travel to Wales to serve the remaining few weeks of his prison sentence.
Mr Fenton, who had been allowed to return to his Plymouth home on leave, was jailed for eight years in May 2014 as part of a gang which trafficked large amounts of cocaine to the city from Plymouth.

Mr Vaitilingam said the pair were walking from a car park towards the station when Skinner started stabbing his friend around the chest, neck and head in a “frenzy”.
Mr Fenton tried to push him away as he staggered with blood pouring from his wounds into the crowded ticket hall.
Mr Vaitilingam said that crowds, including women and children, scattered as he Mr Fenton tried to get away from his attacker – all the time weakening from the blows.

The barrister added that one mum said she was terrified as she moved away with children aged eight, ten and 13.
Mr Vaitilingam said that Mr Phare “very bravely” got Skinner in a bear hug from behind and pulled him to the ground. Other members of staff and members of the public helped restrain the attacker.

He added that Mr Fenton suffered at least 17 major wounds, with more than 40 injuries in total.
Mr Vaitilingam said Skinner was heard saying after the attack: “He should not have threatened my mother. I hope he dies. I will do 50 years for my mother.”
The barrister said the murder weapon was a Stanley knife with a blade of about three and a half inches.
A family liaison officer then read statements from Ms Hester and Mr Fenton’s mother Elaine Thorn. The victim also had three grown-up children as well as the five and six-year-old with Ms Hester.
Ms Hester added: “We worked so hard for the last four years waiting to be reunited. He will not get to walk his princess down the aisle and will never get to see his best mate become a black belt in martial arts.
"I will never get to marry the man that I loved. I will tell them (the children) every day how much their daddy loves them and how proud he was to be their daddy.
“Jamie Skinner has taken so much from us that it is almost impossible to put into words.”

She added that she had suffered sleepless nights and flashbacks.
Mrs Thorn added: “I have had dreams of Wayne returning to the front door. I wake up and I realise he is never coming back.
“I am two different people. One day I am okay and the next I am haunted by the pain that Wayne must have suffered. I am having counselling and the pain will never leave me. I have struggled to sleep.
“Why did he have to die in this way?”
She added she could not understand why a friend to whom he had been a “father figure” would attack him.

Mrs Thorn said: “He has caused me and my family untold pain.”
Richard Smith, QC, for Skinner, said the friends had a “falling out” in the car on the way to the station.
He said the argument led to Mr Fenton making a threat to the defendant’s mother which he considered credible.
Mr Smith said Skinner did not want the nature of the personal argument aired in public.

He added that the murder was not planned – or else Skinner would not have chosen to launch his attack in such a public place.
The barrister said: “This was a man who in the emotion of moment lost his mind in the way that he did.”
The court heard that Skinner had no criminal convictions, though he had been cautioned for offences including violence.
Mr Smith said that the Stanley knife was normally left in the car and was not taken to the station for the attack.
He added Skinner said he was going to plead guilty weeks before the trial date.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Langley, of British Transport Police, said outside court: “This was a horrific and senseless attack on a father in broad daylight.
“The sentence handed down by the judge shows the heinous crime that Skinner committed.
"Wayne’s murder will have a lasting effect on his family and loved ones and no doubt the members of the public and staff that were present at the station.
"I hope Skinner takes the time in prison to reflect upon his actions and really think about the immense impact he has caused to Wayne and his family.”

Judge Paul Darlow awarded Mr Phare £100 from public funds for tackling the frenzied knifeman.
He added: “He very much put himself in harm’s way."
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2017, 23:03:59 »

Quote
A brave member of Great Western Railway staff, John Phare, managed to grab Skinner in a bear hug and pull him to the ground – where the attacker was restrained by colleagues and members of the public.
...
Judge Paul Darlow awarded Mr Phare £100 from public funds for tackling the frenzied knifeman.  He added: “He very much put himself in harm’s way."


Indeed: well done, John Phare.  Lips sealed


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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
bobm
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« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2018, 20:57:10 »

From RAIL Magazine

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National Rail Awards 2018: JUDGES’ SPECIAL AWARD Winner: John Phare – Plymouth Station Booking Office, Great Western Railway

August 8 2017: it was a busy morning at Plymouth station and parents were out with their children, enjoying the summer sunshine.

John Phare was working in the ticket office when he witnessed an incident for which no amount of training could have prepared him. He saw a man repeatedly stabbing another person. The terror attack at London Bridge station had taken place only a few months earlier, and John feared the worst.

He left the safety of his ticket office to try to stop the assault.

John said: “I could see that a man was being stabbed. I just didn’t think, and I rugby tackled the assailant to the ground.”

He tackled him with an unorthodox rugby tackle and held him down while colleagues assisted.

“At one stage he pointed the knife at me,” said John “But I just carried on. I managed to get hold of the knife and throw it to one side.”

John was covered in the blood of the victim - Wayne Fenton - who had received 40 knife injuries and, sadly, died in hospital an hour later. John restrained the attacker - Jamie Skinner - for ten minutes until the British Transport Police arrived. Skinner was later convicted of murder and received a life sentence.

John could have stayed in the safety of his booking office. Instead, he chose to put himself in harm’s way, despite being warned by the taxi drivers outside not to go onto the platform.

He told the NRA judges that he took a calculated risk, that he would only get stabbed somewhere non-fatal, such as in the arm or leg. He said there was no way he could have stayed in his office when there were women and children on the platform.

“They are my responsibility,” he said. For me not to do anything and for that to lead to someone else being killed or injured would have been like a life sentence.”

The next morning, John was the first member of staff in the booking office, ready to start his shift as normal.

For FULL coverage of the National Rail Awards, read RAIL 862, published on September 26, and available digitally on Android, iPad and Kindle on September 22.
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2018, 07:53:34 »


Well done that man.

My first question would be - why did it take 10 minutes for the BTP (British Transport Police) to arrive?
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broadgage
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« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2018, 10:47:15 »

Quote
A brave member of Great Western Railway staff, John Phare, managed to grab Skinner in a bear hug and pull him to the ground – where the attacker was restrained by colleagues and members of the public.
...
Judge Paul Darlow awarded Mr Phare £100 from public funds for tackling the frenzied knifeman.  He added: “He very much put himself in harm’s way."


Indeed: well done, John Phare.  Lips sealed




Whilst I am pleased to see that the bravery of the man has recognised, £100 seems rather paltry these days.
IMHO (in my humble opinion) an award of at least £1000 would be more appropriate.
In view of the relatively small number of such cases, the total drain on the public purse would not be great.

Hopefully the brave employee will not face any disciplinary action for violating any "non confrontation" or similar policy.
Hopefully the armed attacker will not receive any compensation for violation of his human rights.

BTW (by the way), many years ago when I was rather younger and fitter, I tackled an armed thief and was given an award out of public funds, whilst I was honoured to receive this award, the actual amount was considerably less than I lost in wages whilst attending court as a witness.
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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
IndustryInsider
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« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2018, 15:50:58 »

My first question would be - why did it take 10 minutes for the BTP (British Transport Police) to arrive?

Perhaps they were 10 minutes away when they received the call?
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2018, 18:18:22 »

My first question would be - why did it take 10 minutes for the BTP (British Transport Police) to arrive?

Perhaps they were 10 minutes away when they received the call?

I believe they're based at Plymouth station.
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ChrisB
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« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2018, 18:19:23 »

To cover the area, not just at the station....
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #12 on: September 18, 2018, 19:03:53 »

Indeed.  With the only other BTP (British Transport Police) bases in Devon and Cornwall at Exeter and Truro, and only a handful of officers based at any of them, they can very quickly become stretched.  There may well be nobody at the station, and that’s why the other police forces work in close conjunction with them and often get there first.
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