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Man jailed for push onto live rail in Kent

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Geezertronic

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A slightly over-dramatic thread title as the woman pushed did not land on the live rail but close to it (in fact the BBC News article says live railway line not live rail) but the guy deserved the sentence since the outcome could have been a lot worse.
 

Dai.

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He shouldn't have pushed her onto the rails, it is illegal to smoke on stations and there are signs that clearly state that but saying to someone 'I don't like the smell of cancer' isn't exactly the best way to get them to stop..

Haha

What else was in the conversation?
She said she asked politely but the only quote on the website is 'I don't like the smell of cancer' :\
 

Deerfold

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He shouldn't have pushed her onto the rails, it is illegal to smoke on stations and there are signs that clearly state that but saying to someone 'I don't like the smell of cancer' isn't exactly the best way to get them to stop..

Haha

What else was in the conversation?
She said she asked politely but the only quote on the website is 'I don't like the smell of cancer' :\

No, but it's not as if that was an irritated immediate reaction - it was the next day.

(And smoking at stations is most annoying - unfortunately at Keighley it's more likely than not that there will be someone smoking
).
 

yorkie

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some of them hate being told not to smoke and some get abusive and/or aggressive. these people need to be dealt with appropriately, and this one has. but we are still too lenient in general in this country
 

Old Timer

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They will only serve half of the sentence inside anyway, so two years as a maximum.

By the time the various reductions and early release programmes have been factored into it, four years will probably mean 18 months inside at best, probably much less.
 

TDK

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some of them hate being told not to smoke and some get abusive and/or aggressive. these people need to be dealt with appropriately, and this one has. but we are still too lenient in general in this country

I feel the no smoking law on stations is rediculous, I think it should be covered areas only, take a station like Yorton or any open station there is no more harm smoking here than on the street. However I think this man gotlet off lightly I would have said it was attempted murder to be honest.
 

Deerfold

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I feel the no smoking law on stations is rediculous, I think it should be covered areas only, take a station like Yorton or any open station there is no more harm smoking here than on the street. However I think this man gotlet off lightly I would have said it was attempted murder to be honest.


Except that on the street, I'm just walking past and can choose to avoid you - on a station I'm fairly committed to hanging around until my train comes.
 

ralphchadkirk

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I feel the no smoking law on stations is rediculous, I think it should be covered areas only, take a station like Yorton or any open station there is no more harm smoking here than on the street

Well, I don't like the smell of cancer ;)

And I don't believe it could be attempted murder as it was not premeditated.

Old Timer - I agree with you. The legal system is badly flawed in this country.
 

jopsuk

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They will only serve half of the sentence inside anyway, so two years as a maximum.

By the time the various reductions and early release programmes have been factored into it, four years will probably mean 18 months inside at best, probably much less.

Piffle. Early release is much reduced now (because, mainly, of political pressure along the lines you recited), jails are getting rather cosy because of it. Don't feel sorry for the criminals, mind- the staff though suffer when prisons are overcrowded.
 

Kernowfem

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I wouldnt call 'i dont like the smell of cancer' exactly polite....However to push the lady onto the tracks was downright stupid. For the past couple of years if ive had to use the train i always make a point of standing as far away from the platform edge as i can since witnessing a women pass out and fall under a train at sheffield midland. At least with your back to the nearest wall anyone would find it difficult to 'push' you off the platform.
 

jopsuk

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No, he's eligible for release after two years (and is released automatically). He does not get to apply halfway through the "prison" part of his sentence. Section six on this page. His sentence is four years. The judge was merely explaining (by saying he'll spend two years in and two on licence) the structure. He cannot be released before the two years is up.
 

Old Timer

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No, he's eligible for release after two years (and is released automatically). He does not get to apply halfway through the "prison" part of his sentence. Section six on this page. His sentence is four years. The judge was merely explaining (by saying he'll spend two years in and two on licence) the structure. He cannot be released before the two years is up.
Time will tell
 

yorkie

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I wouldnt call 'i dont like the smell of cancer' exactly polite....
But smoking anywhere near anyone else is extremely impolite and potentially making that person ill. Some people will suffer quite badly if the fumes are inhaled. I accept you don't do this as you say you go far away, but sadly many do.

On my way to the station about a year or so ago I saw a mother smoking while pushing a pram and with a couple of very young kids in tow. Unbelievable. I told her what I thought of her selfish actions. She didn't like it and was abusive. What a shame those kids are going to be given such a bad start in life by being brought up to be abusive and be given health problems from a young age. Something should be done to stop kids being brought up like that.
 

CarterUSM

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It's an unfortunate indictment of societies ill's that incidents such as this seem to occur. The woman concerned had every right to request this chap refrain from smoking but found out to her cost that it was an unwise move to enforce the rules of others. If there were staff at this station it'd have been a fair shout to involve them instead. Though perhaps a polite request to his better side, if indeed it exists, would have sufficed. It is an unpredictable scenario challenging someone whom you hold no authority over, indeed, even if you have a modicum of authority it can be difficult. While i'm very pleased at a jail sentence and have a lot of sympathy for the woman concerned, it's far safer to keep ones own counsel or delegate responsibility to those whom it would concern. Keep out of others business, if you will. With notable exceptions that could result in injury, death to others or personal harm. And yes, it is to my chagrin that life has come to this. :(
 

Greeny

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Hmmmm. She sounds like a stuck up, obnoxious old bag looking for an argument. Though pushing her off the platform was a bit OTT.

G
 

jopsuk

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can I point out that he pushed her off the platform THE DAY AFTER she spoke to him? What she said to him really matters very little at that point.
 

Old Timer

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I think the bigger issue here is that there is a largish section of society whose first response to any challenge to their actions is to resort to violence.

They have no consideration for any other person on for themselves, and what does not suit them is wrong. These are the sort of people who years ago would have been brought back to heel with a suitable punishment. Today of course our Judicial and Political system seems incapable and unwilling to deal with these individuals and as a result they are breeding subsequent generations who bear similar traits.
 

Kernowfem

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But smoking anywhere near anyone else is extremely impolite and potentially making that person ill. Some people will suffer quite badly if the fumes are inhaled. I accept you don't do this as you say you go far away, but sadly many do.

Yorkie, i think you may have me mixed up with someone else. I did indeed quote in regard to the politeness of the 'i dont like the smell of cancer' thing. However, I did not quote anything on 'moving away' as i do not smoke myself :)
My point was merely to say if i heard someone say to someone else 'i dont like the smell of cancer' i would not class it as 'polite'. Now a 'excuse me, would you mind not smoking please?' while pointing to nearest 'do not smoke' sign would have been how i would have approached it. And i will say again in no way did this lady deserve to be pushed off the platform....however, when challenging someone in this day and age you just never know how someone is going to react, whether its queue jumping, road rage etc etc. Had i been on the platform that morning i would have simply moved away...i wouldnt have had the bottle to confront the man!! :D
 

Greeny

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And i will say again in no way did this lady deserve to be pushed off the platform....however, when challenging someone in this day and age you just never know how someone is going to react, whether its queue jumping, road rage etc etc. Had i been on the platform that morning i would have simply moved away...i wouldnt have had the bottle to confront the man!! :D


Indeed. The problem today is that you just don't know what some nut case is going to pull out of his pockets. So it is not a good idea to approach a stranger whilst in possession of an attitude which comes across as "I'm beter than you so do as you're told"

As I said, and obnoxious old bag looking for an argument, though it didn't warrant shoving to old cow of the platform.

G
 

Deerfold

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Indeed. The problem today is that you just don't know what some nut case is going to pull out of his pockets. So it is not a good idea to approach a stranger whilst in possession of an attitude which comes across as "I'm beter than you so do as you're told"

As I said, and obnoxious old bag looking for an argument, though it didn't warrant shoving to old cow of the platform.

G

Or perhaps just someone in a bad mood who chose her words badly - and has now been pushed off a rail platform, had mental problems and lost her job.
 

Greeny

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Or perhaps just someone in a bad mood who chose her words badly - and has now been pushed off a rail platform, had mental problems and lost her job.

You may be right, and for what it's worth, I accept your point, and as I said, it certainly did not justify pushing her over the platform edge. But these days, going for a staranger using a 'high and mighty' approach is a bad move as (again) you just don't know what some nutter is going to pull out of his pocket.

G
 
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