Repeat Highland fare dodger assaulted railway worker
A fare dodger who was caught twice in one day without a ticket assaulted a member of railway staff and resisted police officers.
Ghale Ahmed struck the railway employee as they attempted to escort him from Inverness train station.
Later that day he struggled with police officers who arrived to remove him from a train at Nairn station.
Ghale Ahmed appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit two fare-dodging charges, along with assault, threatening behaviour and resisting British Transport Police.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver told Sheriff Robert Frazer that just before 7am on October 29, the conductor on the Kingussie to Inverness service approached Ghale and asked to see his ticket.
'He did not have a ticket'
"The accused had advised him that he did not have a ticket and did not have any money to buy one," Ms Silver said.
The conductor told Ahmed he would have to leave the train at the next stop but this was ignored.
When the train came into Carrbridge station, Ahmed did not respond to the conductor's prompts to get off.
"The conductor has then picked up the accused's sleeping bag and said that he would help him off the train, to which the accused has jumped up and started shouting aggressively at the conductor in a foreign language resulting in him feeling threatened," said Ms Silver.
The train continued to Inverness and Ahmed alighted and used the station toilet before being approached again by the conductor and asked to leave the station.
The railway employee escorted him towards the main entrance but Ahmed struck out without provocation and hit the man on the head.
"He followed this with two kicks to the witness's leg and back," the fiscal depute said.
Second incident
Then, around 5.20pm on the same day, the conductor on a train leaving Keith approached Ahmed to ask for a ticket.
Ahmed replied that he had a ticket on his phone but he was "out of battery".
"The conductor has explained he would have to buy a new ticket, to which he responded he didn't have any money."
Again Ahmed was told he would have to leave the train at the next stop – news he was said to be "unhappy" about.
The conductor then contacted police who met and boarded the train at Nairn.
Officers told Ahmed, who was assisted by an interpreter throughout the hearing, to leave the train, using short commands and hand gestures to indicate their request.
When Ahmed refused officers took hold of him to remove him from the train, at which point he began to resist and strike out at officers.
He was restrained and handcuffs applied to the front but continued to struggle onto the platform, where the handcuffs were moved to the rear.
Escorted off the platform
"He was escorted off the platform struggling and kicking out at officers," said Ms Silver.
The behaviour continued until Ahmed was placed in a police cell.
Solicitor John MacColl asked that his client be released on bail pending sentencing.
Sheriff Frazer told Ahmed: "This is two incidents that took place in the course of one day where your behaviour towards members of both British Rail and the British Transport Police is nothing less than disgraceful."
He added: "The court will be considering all sentencing options."
The case will call again in the new year.
