FROM sexual assaults to ticket collectors being strangled and commuters pushed onto the tracks for giving a ‘dirty look’ – yobs, perverts and predators are running wild on the UK’s railways.
The after a mass stabbing on a train heading from Doncaster to London in November, and with crimes on trains and tubes tripling in the last decade, The Sun reveals how criminals are preying on passengers up and down the country and how to keep yourself safe.
A forensic officer inspects the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train at Huntingdon Station, near Cambridge, after the stabbings in NovemberCredit: Reuters
A migrant pushed a passenger on to the tracks at Oxford Circus, London Underground station in February last year
Officers at Huntingdon station after a knife rampage on an LNER trainCredit: Tom Bowles
Stark statistics reveal Britain’s railways are increasingly unsafe, with an average of 40 attacks taking place every day across the network.
A total of 15,528 violent crimes were recorded on trains or at stations in the UK in the year to April – 10,940 on paying passengers, 3,625 on rail staff and 963 on officers.
The growing problem was brought into sharp focus on November 1, when a knifeman boarded a LNER train at Peterborough and launched a series of sickening stabbings, which saw passengers trampled and seeking refuge in the train toilets as they listened to the screams of his victims.
One commuter initially believed it was a Halloween prank, with LNER catering crew worker , 48, left fighting for his life in hospital after bravely shielding passengers from harm.
More than 30 police officers rushed to the scene when the train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon railway station, with a suspect subsequently tasered after jumping a fence.
, 35, has been charged with a catalogue of offences, including 10 counts of attempted murder.
Terrifying footage shown at High Court depicted drunken thug , 48, jumping out of his seat on a train between Glasgow and Perth before hitting a fellow passenger twice over the head with a glass bottle, punching the victim’s friend seven times and thrusting the broken bottle neck into his chest twice when he tried to intervene.
The second victim’s injuries were so severe he ended up in intensive care with a severed artery, collapsed lung and stab wound close to his heart.
The attack took place last February, and last week Craig, of East Renfrewshire, was convicted of attempted murder and serious assault. The yob will be sentenced next month.
In February 2024, , 24, 60, into the path of a tube train at Circus Underground station after believing he had been given a ‘dirty look’.
The homeless drifter had been racking up convictions for assault and indecent acts since arriving in the country in 2019, dodging a bid to deport him after lodging an appeal with a secretive tribunal.
With a tube train just four seconds away and pure luck meaning he didn’t touch a live rail, victim Tadeusz narrowly escaped with his life.
Shorsh was convicted of attempted murder last October, with the jury at Inner London Crown Court taking just 32 minutes to reach their decision and Mr Justice Kelleher saying his attack would ‘strike fear into every traveller on the Underground’.
And cops continue to hunt for a gang thought to be responsible for the death of , 48 who died three weeks after he was pushed down an escalator at Waterloo Station in London in a random attack, before being attacked on the ground.
Mr Airlie was tragically discovered dead by a relative on October 10 2024, just three weeks after allegedly being pushed down the escalator by masked youths.
Ian Airlie died after being pushed down an escalator at Waterloo station.
Station stabbings
The Office of Rail and Road reported the number of assaults on passengers on the rail network had tripled from 3,211 in 2014-15 to more than 10,000 in 2024-25, the greatest recorded in 20 years of data.
Secretary Heidi Alexander said an official review would examine options to make the network safer in the wake of the Huntingdon horror, ruling out airport-style security scanners because they don’t want to ‘make life impossible for everyone’.
Shadow Home Secretary also called for tougher action against knife crime in the wake of last month’s stabbings in Huntingdon, telling BBC Radio Four’s Today programme: “We need to go further with tougher knife crime laws, with more stop and search, and the use of technology like live facial recognition to identify wanted criminals and dangerous people so they can be arrested.”
Any measures introduced will be too late for Ervin Baraku, the 33-year-old dad who was stabbed to death last July at the Seven Sisters Underground station in North London following a short altercation on the street.
Homeless drifter Brwa Shorsh, 24, had racked up convictions for assault and indecent acts since coming here in 2019Credit: Central News
Father Ervin Baraku had an ‘altercation’ with Kevin Nguyen, 21, (pictured)Credit: BTP
CCTV showed Milumo Pedrinho wielding a huge knife and ‘screaming and shouting’Credit: BTP
In March this year, yobs armed with knives were filmed fighting at Queensbury Underground stationCredit: Facebook
Murderers Kevin Nguyen, 21, and Milumo Pedrinho, also 21, chased Ervin into the station with a knife, fleeing after their victim fell down the station steps and Pedrinho stabbed him.
In July, a report by think tank the Policy Exchange revealed knife crime in London had surged by 58 per cent in three years.
In March this year, yobs armed with knives were filmed fighting at station, in North West London, in front of horrified commuters.
Two rival teens lunged towards each other as they shouted threats, brandishing what appeared to be illegal machetes.
Last Easter, five boozed-up teenage girls were filmed attacking train staff, passengers and the police in an hour-long attack at Barnham Station, West Sussex, that went viral on social media.
One girl laughingly held up a clump of hair from the head of a train passenger in triumph as the gang threw punches and headbutted victims.
According to a 2024 survey from the Department of Transport, nearly half of all men said they felt safe on , but this dropped to just one-third for women.
‘Dangerous predator’
For just like violent thugs, creeps are roaming on the rail and tube networks, with young females often the target.
Evil Ahmad Ahmedzai was jailed for six months in May and placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years after preying on lone women across London.
The 30-year-old sexually assaulted a 28-year-old woman multiple times on a busy train from Bushey to London Euston in September last year, and a few months later, struck on a busy Jubilee Line tube train where he targeted a 28-year-old female, and sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman on a busy train from Watford Junction to London Euston.
“Ahmedzai is a dangerous predator who targeted women on busy services in order to hide his sick antics,” said BTP Det Con Jack Leach after the pervert was sentenced.
Far from protecting his passengers, vile train conductor for seven years after sexually assaulting a teenage woman on board a train between and last June.
Ahmad Ahmedzai, 30, trawled trains and targeted lone women in a series of vile attacksCredit: BTP
McMurray, who was working for Great Western Railway, lied to cops about the attackCredit: BBC
Nicholas McMurray was jailed for seven years after the horror attackCredit: BTP
Mohamed Kadir, 29, strangled rail staff while on a CrossCountry trainCredit: BTP
After he asked to see an 18-year-old woman’s ticket in an isolated section of the carriage, McMurray moved his victim’s skirt before “aggressively” kissing and sexually assaulting her.
He was found guilty of sexual assault and assault by penetration at Swansea Crown Court in February and put on the sex offenders register for life.
In one of the most heartbreaking cases on record, after she was viciously assaulted at New Street station last November, suffering a broken hip.
We need to go further with tougher knife crime laws, with more stop and search, and the use of technology like live facial recognition to identify wanted criminals
Home Secretary Chris Philp
It is believed the much-loved great-grandmother had tried to act as a peacemaker when a woman in her 20s grew agitated, but she was punched to the floor.
The Good Samaritan died in hospital five weeks later.
Earlier this month, rail union warned of a 17 per cent increase in rail workers this summer compared to last.
In May, an unnamed worker on a CrossCountry train was strangled after staff tried to get a commuter to pay for his ticket.
Mohamid Kadir, 29, was sitting in the first-class carriage of a train heading from Derby to Birmingham this May when he was asked to show he had paid for his journey.
He told the member of staff he didn’t have a ticket and was going to Birmingham regardless, refusing to leave the train before leaving when the police were called.
You should always listen to your instinct, if your gut is telling you something’s wrong, move away
Will Geddes, security expert
The thug went on to attempt to strangle a member of staff attempting to keep him at Derby train station until cops arrived, and in November, he was jailed for 16 months.
With passengers, train staff and police officers alike falling victim to criminals targeting the UK rail networks, security expert Will Geddes has this advice on how best to protect yourself on public transport.
“From the moment you arrive at the station and go through the barriers, it’s about being aware of who is around you,” said the experienced bodyguard.
“You should always listen to your instinct. If your gut is telling you something’s wrong, move away.
Shocking number of railway staff and passengers violently attacked every day revealed as figures surge in past year
By and Matt Davis
MORE than 40 violent attacks take place every day on Britain’s rail network, figures obtained by The Sun on Sunday show.
The revelation comes two weeks after the in which ten people were attacked.
In the year to April, there were 15,528 violent crimes recorded on trains or at stations — a seven per cent yearly rise.
Of those, 10,940 were on paying passengers, 3,625 were on rail staff, while 963 were on officers.
There were 2,658 sexual offences and 843 weapons crimes, involving the likes of knives and guns, stats from the Office of Rail and Road and BTP showed.
London Euston had the most attacks — with 227 assaults recorded.
One rail worker said: “If the Huntingdon attack will not be a wake-up call, what will?”
Ministers have considered installing knife arches at major stations or using to scan for weapons from 30ft away.
There is also a push for more BTP numbers — with just a net increase of eight officers to its ranks of 2,852 in the past six years.
“If someone is making you feel uncomfortable on a platform, put distance between yourself and that person, don’t make it easy for them and remember you can always turn around and head back out of the station.”
Train or tube staff can also help if available, and the British Transport Police can be texted on 61016 unless it’s an emergency, in which case 999 should be used.
A Spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “The safety of the public is our number one priority, and we work tirelessly to protect every journey. Every instance of sexual assault or violent crime on the railway is one too many.
“We are committed to ensuring the public can travel in confidence, with teams out on the railway every day, in uniform and plain clothes, to deter and detect crime.
“We encourage the public to report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, either to our patrolling officers or by sending us a free text.
“Every report is taken seriously and helps us target our activity, ensuring our officers are exactly where they’re most needed. When crimes do happen, we’re fortunate to work in a CCTV-rich environment to quickly identify offenders, track them down, and bring them to justice.”
Once onboard, Will suggested making a quick assessment of the people around you to see who could help in a crisis.
“It’s a good idea to look for people who could potentially protect or support you,” said the security specialist.
“If an incident does happen, the first thing is to not engage and put distance between you and the assailant – remember, they can only harm you if they’re within one arm’s reach of you.
The number of crimes reported on each Tube line in the first half of 2025, and the most dangerous stations in London according to reported crimes last year
“Asking fellow passengers for help in a specific way is most effective: ‘You in the brown jacket with the glasses, please help me’.
“You’ve made that person involved, and they will motivate others to help you too.”
Will has the following advice for anyone targeted by creeps.
“If you’re very assertive, shame them,” he said.
“Shout out: ‘He’s got a hand on my a*** get it off now’.
“If you’re less assertive and you’re wearing boots or heels, grinding them on their toes with them works very effectively.”
Killer Deng Chol Majek followed her to the train stationCredit: British Transport Police
Rhiannon Skye Whyte, 27, died in hospital three days after being stabbed more than 20 timesCredit: PA
He was seen in a corridor at Walsall’s Park Inn hotel two hours laterCredit: PA
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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