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The boss who fell asleep on a railway track
Last updated at 17:12pm on 15.12.06
Kevin Craswell was found asleep on the tracks
The company director caused four hours of delays
A drunk company director was in court today after passing out on a railway track in the afternoon rush hour.
Kevin Craswell, 48, consumed a "lethal" amount of vodka and was seen by passengers at 3.30pm crawling along the railway at Epsom.
Astonishing pictures show him asleep and using the rail as a pillow. Witnesses even said they could hear him snoring from the platform.
Police said he was extraordinarily lucky to have survived. Oncoming trains had to be diverted at the last minute.
Staff took almost half an hour to wake Craswell and it caused Network Rail almost four hours of subsequent delays, costing £7,296.
Craswell, a company director from Ashstead who had "fallen on hard times", was taken to hospital where he later received an on-the-spot fine for being drunk and disorderly.
He has pleaded guilty to a charge of "obstructing the railway by neglect" at Redhill magistrates.
Graham Guerin, defending Craswell, had told an earlier hearing: "This is a professional man who fell on hard times five years ago and developed a drink problem. He had drunk a substantial amount of vodka and has no recollection of this incident. But he acknowledges the danger he presented not only to himself but to others.
"Since this happened he has taken steps to help himself and also arranged to see a counsellor."
Magistrate Ron Fewtrell said although he was aware of the potential risk to rail users, he did not believe Craswell intended to harm people.
He ordered the defendant to undertake a community service, a community order and to pay compensation to the rail company.
