Fare-dodger who assaulted rail staff and ran down the tracks jailed

A fare-dodger who assaulted railway staff at Northampton station and put his life in danger by running down the tracks has been jailed.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows Aleksandrs Morozevics running down the middle of the tracks shortly after racially abusing and attempting to headbutt an off-duty police officer.

Morozevics continued his barrage of abuse against emergency workers following his arrest when he spat at three officers and struck two in the face.

The 40-year-old, of Church Lane in Northampton, was jailed for 26 weeks at Northampton Magistrates' Court earlier this month following the incident, which happened on Monday 9 September.

The court heard Morozevics began swearing at a revenue officer when he was asked for a ticket and kicked and shoved at other staff members who came to help.

When confronted by an off-duty officer, he jumped onto the tracks and ran off – the trains were stopped causing delays and a cancellation.

In total, Morozevics committed 10 offences – three counts of common assault against rail staff, one count of assault on the off-duty officer, and three counts of assault on the officers in custody. He also resisted arrest and put his life in danger by trespassing on the railway.

Jonny Wiseman, head of customer experience for London Northwestern Railway, said:

"Any form of assault or intimidation towards our staff or other passengers on the railway is entirely unacceptable and we fully support the police in prosecuting people who behave in this way.

"Following the series of assaults he carried out, Morozevics' actions in trespassing on the tracks put his own life in danger and caused disruption for thousands of rail passengers.

"Incidents such as this are thankfully rare but are nonetheless extremely dangerous and hopefully the jail sentence imposed by the courts will act as a deterrent to others."

PC Stuart Long, of the British Transport Police, said:

“These were vicious and disgusting assaults on officers and staff. None were warranted, there was no provocation, and Morozevics had no other reason for his behaviour other than he’s a violent person.

“We work very closely with our colleagues in the rail industry and partner police forces – at no point will dealing with this behaviour be seen as just part of the job and we will always push to ensure offenders see the full consequences.”