A MAN HAS today been convicted of two counts of attempted murder after he pushed a 91-year-old man onto the train tracks at Marble Arch station in London and attempted to push another man onto the tracks at Tottenham Court Road station.
Paul Crossley (46), of Leyton High Road, East London, was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder by a jury at the Old Bailey following a five-day trial.
On the afternoon of 27 April, it was alleged that Crossley twice attempted to push a 23-year-old man onto the tracks at Tottenham Court Road tube station.
CCTV footage released by the British Transport Police (BTP) shows the older victim, former Eurotunnel boss Sir Robert Malpas, managing to regain his balance with help from members of the public and avoid falling in front of an oncoming train.
As the 91-year-old victim walked along the platform at Marble Arch, Crossley ran up to him, shoving him forcibly onto the tracks. As he fell into the pit, the victim sustained multiple fractures to his pelvis and a serious wound to his head which required 12 stitches.
One member of the public then climbed down onto to the tracks to help pull the victim back on the platform, sustaining a burn to his hand in the process from the electrified track.
Passengers at the station helped to detain Crossley. He was later arrested by BTP officers at the scene, and told them: “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
In court, Crossley pleaded not guilty to both offences, however the jury found him guilty. Crossley will be sentenced at a later date.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Darren Gough said the incident was “particularly shocking”, adding that the victims were “extremely lucky”.
We could have easily been dealing with a double murder investigation had it not been for the brave actions of the public who stepped in and restrained Mr Crossley, and assisted the victims.
Gough noted that this type of incident is “very rare”, adding that the CCTV “proved invaluable in bringing Crossley to justice”.
Comments are closed due to ongoing legal proceedings.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say