Drunken Barrow man who ‘violently assaulted rail staff’ after being caught smoking in toilet jailed and fined

By Sean Gleaves
Published 19th Jan 2023, 17:02 BST
Updated 19th Jan 2023, 17:02 BST
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A Barrow man who violently assaulted two members of rail staff before threatening to stab them has been jailed.

What happened?

A passenger on the Northern service from Barrow to Lancaster told the conductor that someone was smoking in the toilet cubicle on Wednesday, November 2.

When the conductor knocked on the door of the cubicle, Colin Anthony Eaves opened it and immediately began to swear and shout.

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Alarmed by Eaves’ behaviour, the conductor called for his colleague who asked Eaves for his ticket, which was no longer valid.

On leaving the train as requested due to his behaviour, Eaves then punched both men before throwing a beer can at one, hitting them on the head.

He then continued his tirade of abuse, shouting that he hoped they would get cancer, spitting at them and saying that he would stab them.

The train driver called British Transport Police and officers arrived and arrested Eaves who was on licence for a previous violent offence.

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Colin Anthony Eaves became violent after he was caught smoking on a train (Credit: British Transport Police)Colin Anthony Eaves became violent after he was caught smoking on a train (Credit: British Transport Police)
Colin Anthony Eaves became violent after he was caught smoking on a train (Credit: British Transport Police)

How long has he been jailed for?

Colin Anthony Eaves, 36, of Roose Road, Barrow, was found guilty of two counts of assault by Barrow magistrates on Thursday, January 12.

He was sentenced to 22 weeks in jail and must also pay compensation totalling £550.

What did British Transport Police and Northern say?

Sgt David Grant said: "This was a despicable act of violence against two railway employees who were simply doing their job.

“Our officers carried out a thorough investigation, and the weight of the evidence we were able to present has brought about this result.

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“I am pleased that the court has recognised the seriousness of this offence by giving him a custodial sentence."

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern said: “Appalling behaviour like this will not be tolerated on the Northern network.“While we know incidents like this are rare, with help from British Transport Police we are absolutely committed to making our trains and stations as safe as possible.“As part of Northern’s on-going fleet upgrade, high-definition CCTV that can be monitored in real time by BTP is being installed on its trains.

“Many of our staff also wear body-worn cameras which are used to tackle anti-social or criminal behaviour.”