Police Look For Men After Violence and Thefts On Trains

British Transport Police detectives have CCTV images of people they want to identify in connection with a series of violent crimes and thefts in Hampshire.

The offences include a man who narrowly avoided being struck by a train after being punched to the floor and a man who threw a cup of scalding coffee in a train guard’s face.

Police want to identify the man in image 1 after a cup of hot coffee was thrown at a member of South West Trains staff on a train at Southampton Central in April this year.

Man 1

Image 2 shows a man police want to talk to about a staff assault at Havant rail station in May. After being told he had to upgrade his ticket in order to travel, the man shoulder barged the member of staff to the floor before boarding a train and leaving the station.

Man 2

After being told to stop smoking onboard a train approaching Fareham rail station in May, a man threatened a member of staff with extreme violence, adding that he would stab him with a knife in the face. BTP officers want to speak with the man in image 4, seen boarding the train at Cosham, about the incident.

Man 4

A member of staff had his mobile phone worth £350 stolen while working on a service between Fareham and Portsmouth in June. After leaving his cabin to check on passengers, the guard returned and discovered that his phone had been stolen.  Officers want to identify and talk to the man pictured in image 6 in connection with the incident.  Man 6

Can you help police identify the man in image 8? Officers want to speak to him after a man’s mobile phone was stolen from his seat onboard a train at Portsmouth & Southsea rail station in July.       

Man 8

 

A man punched a passenger in the face at St Denys rail station, Southampton, in May, knocking him to the floor on a platform shortly before an oncoming train. The attack left the victim with a head wound which later required hospital treatment. Officers want to speak to the man in image 9 in connection with the incident.

Man 9

A man who left his seat to make a phone call onboard a train between Fratton and Cosham in July returned to find his bag had been stolen. As part of their enquiries, police are looking to trace the man pictured in image 10.

Man 10

Detective Sergeant Sarah White said:

“Detectives investigating each of these cases have made local enquiries, followed up numerous leads and circulated the images on police intelligence systems in a bid to identify these people, but to no avail so far.

“We are now asking for the public’s help to identify these people. If you know them, or think you might have information about any of these incidents then we would like to hear from you.

“I am certain that someone will recognise the people pictured in the CCTV images and am calling on anyone who does, or the people themselves, to get in touch.”

Anyone with any information about the incidents or who recognises anyone pictured in the CCTV images should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B8/LSA of 13/08/2010 along with the number of the photograph.