Doubts over crash suicide theory

The car belonging to the man who caused the Upton Nervet rail disaster was in such a poor state of repair that the driver's door often jammed, it was revealed today.

His landlord in Reading, David Foote, said: "You couldn't get out of the driver's side - the door was jammed. It always was, ever since he bought the car two years ago."

His comments came as doubts emerged over claims that Mr Drysdale was trying to commit suicide. Police investigating the tragedy that claimed seven lives, including that of Mr Drysdale, near the village of Upton Nervet, Berkshire, have found no evidence in his private life indicating he wanted to kill himself.

They admit they may never discover whether Mr Drysdale intended to stop in the path of the 100mph intercity train or whether he simply broke down at the wrong moment.

A police source said they are "baffled" by Saturday's incident, adding that a motive for suicide is usually discovered within two days of an incident. "No one we have interviewed has suggested that Mr Drysdale was depressed," the source added. "No one has said he was suicidal. There is just no evidence surrounding his state of mind.

"People have said he was a bit quiet, but he always was. It is entirely possible we may never know what really happened that night." Another former colleague of Mr Drysdale said he constantly forgot to fill the car with petrol. "It happened all the time," she said. "He was happy and loved his job.

"There was just no obvious reason for him to kill himself."

Mr Drysdale had worked in the Reading area for more than a decade in hotels, pubs and most recently a golf club.

He was a regular user of drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy and was also known to be a heavy drinker.

Friends say he had a number of girlfriends and never spoke of being gay. He did, however, drink in gay bars and is reported to have had a number of onenight stands with gay men.

As the inquest into the train crash gets under way, forensic teams are examining the wreckage of the car to determine why it may have stopped so suddenly. But experts believe that not enough of the car is left to reveal whether Mr Drysdale was trying to end his life or whether he too was the victim of a tragic accident.

It has emerged that the chef was sober, not on drugs and, contrary to some early reports, fully clothed when the accident

occurred. He had not made a call on his mobile phone for a number of hours and was wearing a seatbelt when the train struck him.

The Evening Standard can reveal that only 18 hours before he died, the 48-year-old was drinking and joking in his local pub in Reading.

The landlady of The Granby, a gay venue, said he seemed happy and stable. Evelyn Lee said: "Everything was completely usual. He drank his beer until closing time, chatted a bit to other people and then left."

Less than 24 hours later, the old blue Mazda stopped on the level crossing. Seconds later the lights began flashing and the barriers came down.

Despite being clear to drive off, Mr Drysdale manoeuvred his car onto the tracks in front of the oncoming train.

This one moment, which was witnessed by an off-duty policeman, instantly made suicide the main line of inquiry for police investigators.