Man who armed himself with railway bolt to attack police caused over 50 hours of delays at Sheffield station
A man who attempted to flee justice by hiding on top of a railway electrical box and attacking police with nearby tools has been jailed.
At around 4pm January 16, 2025, British Transport Police (BTP) responded to reports of an assault at Sheffield railway station.
At a sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court on March 6 this year, it was explained how on that day Gary Cawthorne had punched a man in the face in a completely unprovoked attack, busting his lip.
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As a nearby PCSO responded and searched the station, 40-year-old Cawthorne, of Norfolk Park Road, hid on a waiting train.
When he was asked to step off the train so his details could be taken, Cawthorne ran down the tracks and attempted to enter nearby tunnels before climbing a tall electrical circuit box near the tracks.
He had armed himself with a railway bolt and swung it wildly at officers and paramedics when they came near, repeatedly ignoring their requests to come down as they tried to engage with him.
To allow emergency services to respond, rail services had to be suspended, causing major disturbances over the next four hours.
In total 36 trains were cancelled, 65 partially cancelled, and over 50 hours of delays were experienced by thousands of commuters before Cawthorne eventually submitted himself to the authorities.
He later pleaded guilty to charges of obstructing the railway, affray and assault, and on March 6 was sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment.
BTP Sergeant Roy Percival said: “Cawthorne now has a significant amount of time to think about his actions, which endangered both himself and others.
“The consequences were felt by thousands of people, and this sentence sends a clear message that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated and can result in jail time.”
Karen Duffy, Network Rail operations director, added: “Cawthorne’s reckless actions caused significant disruption to the rail network and had a huge impact on passengers and railway colleagues.
“Trespass on the railway is extremely dangerous because it puts not only the offender’s life at risk, but also those of the teams who respond to incidents.
“We welcome this court result and hope that it serves as a clear reminder that behaviour like this is completely unacceptable.”