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'Stop smoking' woman pushed on rail track
Dick Murray, Transport Editor6 Aug 2008
A woman of 58 was pushed on to railway tracks today after challenging two young men for smoking.
Linda Buchanan had been waiting for a London train at 7am when she was heckled and then shoved off the platform by one of the men after telling them to "grow up".
The senior City management consultant landed beside a 750-volt live rail which would have killed her if she had touched it. Commuters at Farningham Road station, near Dartford, and a station worker pulled her to safety as a train approached.
Speaking at her home in nearby Horton Kirby, she said: "I just feel I'm lucky to be alive. It could have been a lot worse than it is and I'm shocked by the whole experience." She suffered bruises and a broken wrist. Her left wrist was heavily bandaged and her arm was in a sling.
The two men in their twenties, who were dressed in T-shirts and shorts, are being hunted by police who said they are treating it as attempted murder. The woman was described by a police source as a "respectable regular commuter".
The two men were pursued by an offduty Metropolitan Police officer but escaped.
On Monday she had asked the men politely to stop smoking, which is now an offence at all stations. She was verbally abused by them again yesterday.
This morning the woman spotted the men again ignoring the no-smoking rules and they shouted at her.
She responded by saying that they should "grow up". One of the two pushed her, causing her to stagger backwards onto the track. Detective Inspector Bob Richardson said: "The woman was very lucky she was not more seriously injured."
The men were described as white. One is in his mid-twenties, about 6ft and stockily built. He had short cropped brown hair and was wearing beige shorts, a green round-necked T-shirt and trainers.
The second man is in his early twenties, medium build, and was wearing bright red shorts and a dark top.
One witness, Audrey Hescombe, said: "The platform was packed, as it always is at that time. I saw them smoking but didn't say anything. The woman was braver than me and simply asked them to put out their cigarettes. They started hurling abuse at her and then pushed her onto the track.
"Everyone was horrified because the station is very busy with trains at that time of the morning. She's lucky to be alive."
A spokeswoman for the Southeastern train company said: "Other passengers raised the alarm by rushing to the ticket office. They, and staff from the office, pulled the woman back up onto the platform."
Passengers immediately raised the alarm and all train services were ordered to stop.
British Transport Police are studying CCTV footage and were said to be following a number of leads.
Anyone with any information should contact the emergency police line 0800 40 50 40.
The Association of Train Operating Companies and Network Rail banned smoking in England's 1,900 railway stations last July. Anyone caught smoking can be fined a maximum of £200 if prosecuted by a court.
Reader views (21)
In the early 20th Century the whole country was littered with the remnants of burnt out railway stations, set alight by the sparks and embers from passing steam trains.
Exposure to the smoke from one of these trains was generally fatal - bodies littered the platforms.
- J A Sutherland, Raglan, Monmouthshire, 08/08/2008 01:44
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It's like my grandma always said, "there's a fine line between righteousness and self-righteousness." Being a vigilante can lead to unpleasantness, so be sure you're big enough to take the weight if you decide to go that way.
- Azhid Madrors, California, 08/08/2008 00:32
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Fred,
men were legally allowed to beat their wives for hundreds of years, too - should we go back to that? And once it was normal to make kids climb up inside chimneys to clean them. Times change, civilization advances....
Smoking restrictions are not nonsensical. Passive smoking kills. Smoking is banned everywhere on the railways for the benefit of all passengers (the benefits to the 'railway system' are secondary). Don't confuse this with the 'public places' restrictions. It's specific to the railways. And the platform was crowded - which apparently is the norm for that time. Where exactly are passengers who don't wish to breathe the smoke produced by selfish rule-breakers meant to move to?
John,
I think your 'freedom of expression' argument has been squashed by the responses to others' attempts to use it.
So you'd carry on smoking, and simply argue about it rather than getting violent? Oh, well, that's all right then! What an upstanding, unselfish, considerate citizen you must be...
- Tarn, london, 07/08/2008 13:07
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I hope these two animals are caught and given the extremely heavy prison sentences they deserve -
Rob O'Loughlin - what cereal packet did you get your thinking from?
James Cochran - if brains were dynamite you wouldn't have enough to part your hair!!
- Steve N, Manchester UK, 07/08/2008 12:35
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I am also disgusted by some of the commentators here who appear to condone the actions of these thugs. James Cochran is clearly ill informed on legal matters. The European Convention on Human Rights does not guarantee the "right" of anyone to light up in a public place. It is concerned with rather more weighty matters. Please get a sense of proportion. Whatever your views on the smoking ban, nothing justifies this sort of uncivilised and criminal behaviour.
- Andrew, London, 07/08/2008 12:14
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I can believe that people cannot see the effect that nonsensical rules and busybodies are having on the UK.
The argument started because of someone trying to enforce something that is clearly nonsensical and was allowed in this country for more than 178 years.
Farningham road station is not Oxford Circus, its in the middle of nowhere,
The risk to the railway system from someone smoking on an open platform in the middle of nowhere is zero. The platforms are made of non combustible materials and new trains manufactured to BS6853 are also impossible to burn with a cigarette.
If the smoking is offending someone they can move.
I am a non-smoker and I don´t condone what these guys have done, but there does need to be some defiance of the governments stupid rules by somebody.
- Fred, Singapore,, 07/08/2008 11:54
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"The European Charter on Human Rights gives us the right to freedom of expression which smoke falls under. "
Please give the precise page and paragraph reference that specifies this.
Actually, don't bother, because the "European Charter on Human Rights" doesn't exist.
I presume you're referring to either the European Convention on Human Rights or the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union - but I've just done a text search on both, and neither makes any reference to smoking.
- Michael, London, 07/08/2008 11:53
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Re James, Rob and Lachlan. Where do these people come from? They are prime examples of the sick society that is developing. Sad mixed up people with twisted thinking. Let's hope that there aren't too many like them but three out of 12 emails is very scary.
- M Wilkinson, London UK, 07/08/2008 11:40
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I thought the no smoking law related to enclosed public places. I for one am disgusted by the way these 2 idiots conducted themselves and added more fuel to the 'all smokers are evil' campaign. I would not have put my cigarette out and used my vocabulary rather than a Neanderthal like lashing out and explained to this busy body that no law and no person would ever stop me smoking outside and the station owners were contravening my rights to freedom of expression and the sign should have said 'please do not smoke' not 'it is against the law to smoke in this area' viva la France, they have the law and it's totally ignored in favour of common sense, Netherlands has the ban, but they can smoke weed. American drug companies have representatives in Europe discussing a wider sweeping ban, nicotine gum anyone?
- John Earle, Skelmersdale England, 07/08/2008 11:29
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I cannot believe some of these comments!
No James, smoking does not fall under 'freedom of expression'. The right to smoke stops when it collides with the right of non-smokers not to breath carcinogenic fumes produced by smokers. You cannot justify overriding the rights of the majority, and adversely affecting people's health, just because you wish to 'express yourself' by indulging in smoking in public.
Lachlan, smoking is not permitted anywhere on the railways - open platform or not. The woman had every right to ask the men to stop smoking. By ignoring the rules, they showed complete contempt for their fellow commuters, whom the rule is meant to protect. Surely protecting people from a selfish few is a good thing? Perhaps if you get attacked in public, people should leave you to it on the grounds that you probably asked for it by being a 'busybody' who votes Labour!
Rob,
anyone who introduces the word 'Nazi' into comments on such a story, invalidates their argument instantly and does not deserve to be listened to. You sound like a loony, mate.
- Tarn, london, 07/08/2008 10:57
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What an unbelievably crass comment from James Cochran - the "European Charter on Human Rights" (sic) does not give anyone the right to seriously assault someone who asks them to obey the law. I sincerely hope that you are in a deluded minority of one.
- Helen, London, UK, 07/08/2008 10:54
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Oh please - smoking is a foul, archaic habit that shouldn't be forced on anyone. I don't really want to have to cough madly and up my chance of having cancer because someone can't go without a fag for ten minutes.
I'm sick and tired of people playing the fascism card in regards to smoking laws. Did you know that smokers inadvertently started the Oxford Circus fire of 1984 and the Kings Cross fire of 1987? Do you think that the smoking ban on the rail network is such a bad thing now?
- Katy, London, England, 07/08/2008 10:26
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Good god - these two comments some up the state of the country - I hope James Cochran's family run into thugs like this - maybe he'll change his ridiculous views when he's scrapped his mum off the floor.
- Alick, London, 07/08/2008 10:20
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James you are an abject moron, they were thugs who nearly killed a woman because they weren't man enough to take some public criticism. Oh how's the tin foil hat suiting you?
- Ian, London, 07/08/2008 10:06
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Nobody deserves to be pushed onto the rails. Whilst this lady was brave to ask these youths to stop smoking she should have walked on by. There needs to be better ways of reinforcing these laws.
The men will be caught and put up in front of a magistrate, they should be fined for smoking and sentenced for assault. Hopefully they are named and their familys' shamed. They ran away not knowing if she was alive.
- Martin, crystal palace, 07/08/2008 09:09
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Hurray to freedom of speech!
- Archie, warwick, 07/08/2008 07:42
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I hope the two men never get caught, She is trying to help police society be enforcing fascist rules. The European Charter on Human Rights gives us the right to freedom of expression which smoke falls under. First the government deny us our rights with their tyrannical laws and now the people are trying to enforce them.
- James Cochran, Bradford, England, 07/08/2008 06:46
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This woman was brave but very stupid. Please tell your wives and mothers to butt out of disputes with today's style of thugs.
- Mikko Takala, Drumnadrochit, Scotland, 07/08/2008 05:47
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She is lucky, her angel was on her shoulder. We are all better off nowadays to mind our own business. Assault is more common all over the world, times have changed, young thugs think nothing of hurting or killing people.
- Robert Valley, new durham, nh, 07/08/2008 01:09
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I'm sorry that the women was injured but come on, it was an outdoor platform and she was just being a busy body by having a go at these men. Not saying she deserved what she got but surely she has better things to complain about.
She sounds like a perfect candidate for a government job, maybe garbage inspector or a parking warden, I'm sure she's a paid up member of the Labour party.
- Lachlan Mcdonald, London UK, 07/08/2008 01:07
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Good. It's about time this Nazi behaviour induced by propaganda, lies, behavioural manipulation, poisoning and psychology.... was confronted head on and stopped now before this Government, and the one above it, lead the Lemmings over the Cliff... for a laugh! Wake Up! You are Programmed!
- Rob O'Loughlin, Presteigne UK, 06/08/2008 21:26
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