A man who pushed a 91-year-old onto the train tracks at Marble Arch station and tried to push another man onto the tracks at Tottenham Court Road station has been sentenced (24th June).
Paul Crossley, of Leyton High Road, East London, was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder by a jury at the Old Bailey in October following a five-day trial.
Following several months of psychiatric assessment, the Judge sentenced him to a hospital order until he is deemed fit for prison. At which point, he will serve a life sentence with a minimum of 12 years.
On 27th April 2018, Crossley twice attempted to push a 23-year-old man onto the tracks at Tottenham Court Road station.
CCTV footage (below) shows the victim, managing to regain his balance with help from members of the public and avoid falling in front of the oncoming Central Line service.
Crossley then walked away from the scene, joining a westbound service where he left at Marble Arch station.
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 onto the tracks and into the pit, the victim sustained multiple fractures to his pelvis and a serious wound to his head, which required twelve 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 rail.
The 91-year-old victim spent a week in hospital.
In his Victim Impact Statement, which was read out in court, he said he had lost some of his self-confidence and is ‘less able to cope with the vicissitudes of daily life.’
Thanks to the work of passengers at the station, Crossley was detained and then later arrested by BTP officers at the scene.
He told them later: ‘I didn’t get much sleep last night.’
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Darren Gough said:
“I am pleased to see the Judge sentence Crossley today, following several months of psychiatric evaluation since he was convicted of attempted murder last year.
“It has been a long and traumatic process for his two victims, and I would like to commend them for their strength and resilience throughout its entirety.
“The physical and emotional impact of such a determined and unprovoked attack really cannot be underestimated.
“I would also like to echo the Judge’s comments in recognising the exceptional bravery of the members of the public who stepped in and restrained Crossley on 27th April 2018.
“Without them, the damage he could have gone on to cause simply doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Siwan Hayward, Director of Compliance, Policing and On-Street Services at Transport for London, said:
“We welcome Crossley’s sentencing for this truly shocking and dangerous attack.
“The safety of our customers is paramount, and we have worked with the police to bring the perpetrator to justice.
“Such incidents are thankfully extremely rare, and we always support the strongest possible action against anyone who endangers our customers.”
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