A railway trespasser who caused more than two days worth of delays to passengers travelling via Clapham Junction has been jailed for two months.
A total of 38 trains were either delayed or cancelled after Anthony Andre was spotted on the tracks about 6.30pm on September 10.
Clapham Junction is one of the busiest rail stations in the UK and is used by thousands of commuters, including Southern and South Western Railway users who change trains in and out of Waterloo or Victoria.
The 42-year-old disrupted passengers during the five-day Tube strike when many were even more dependent on the mainline railway to get to work.
When Andre was spotted on the tracks, the power was switched off for his safety.
He was quickly apprehended, but the switch-off affected 38 trains and caused a total of 3,427 minutes or about 57 hours of delays to passengers during the evening rush hour.
Andre was remanded in custody and appeared before Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on September 12.
He pleaded guilty to trespass and obstruction and was sentenced to eight weeks in jail.
Anthony Andre was sentenced to eight weeks in prison
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BTP
Network Rail Head of Security, Crime and Resilience, Paul Langley, said trespassing on the railway was “incredibly dangerous”.
“Trains in the South East are powered by the electric rail,” he said.
“(It) carries 750 volts and easily enough to kill or cause devastating life-changing injuries.”
Mr Langley said he hoped the sentence sent a message to the community.
Commuters at Clapham Junction were disrupted for hours
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BTP
“We hope this sentence sends a message that trespassing on the railway will not be tolerated,” Mr Langley said.
“Anthony Andre is lucky to be walking away with a prison sentence, as it could have ended in tragedy.
“His actions not only put his own life at risk, but caused huge disruption for thousands of passengers trying to get home, or to see friends and family.
“We work hard every day to keep people safe and trains running. Incidents like this are a stark reminder of how quickly things can go wrong, and why we always take trespass so seriously.”
Investigating Officer PC Darren Ryan said that trespassing could result in “life-changing injuries or even death”.
“It’s also illegal and we will take firm action against those that break the law,” he said.
“Andre chose to trespass during a week of strikes, causing even further disruption and chaos for the network, so I’m pleased with the result in this case.”
He urged members of the public “who witness incidents of trespass to contact us by texting 61016 or call us on 0800 40 50 40” to prevent any tragic accidents from taking place.
A new series was released by Network rail and British Transport police earlier this year named “Stay off the Tracks”.
It was part of their You vs Train campaign, aiming to raise awareness of the dangers present around the railway.
The series also aimed at showing people the catastrophic, life-changing impacts of coming into contact with them.
First responders collaborated with professionals from the film industry to recreate the sights, sounds and impacts they have encountered when dealing with life-threatening injuries caused by coming into contact with the electric rail – which carries 750 volts of electricity.