Man parked on track in protest at non-stop train

A disgruntled businessman parked his car across a railway line after being told his train would not be stopping, a court heard today.

Property manager Simon Taylor, 47, blocked a main line to London with his Renault Kangoo in a moment of anger at rail operator South Central.

Now his rail rage could cost him up to two years in jail when he is sentenced next month.

Taylor's patience snapped at Berwick station, near Eastbourne, last September when he heard the 6.30am to London Victoria would miss its scheduled stop.

He got back in his car and parked it across a level crossing, forcing a sixminute delay. South Central was fined £1,272 for the hold-up - a cost which may now be passed on to Taylor.

At Hove Crown Court today Taylor, of Polegate, East Sussex, admitted obstructing a railway engine contrary to the 1861 Malicious Damages Act.

He claimed he had no idea that he had stopped his car on the actual track, saying his anger affected his judgment. But Judge Austin Issard-Davies refused to accept that Taylor, who has stood several-times as a local councillor, was unaware he had parked on the track.

Prosecutor Nigel Taylor told how ticket inspector Denise Andrews, who had told Taylor the train would not be stopping, saw him leave his vehicle on the crossing at right angles to the track.

He later told police in an interview: "It was a staggeringly stupid thing to do. It was done out of anger and frustration and lack of thought."

But he claimed the rail operator had used the wrong type of train for the service to London, meaning it was too long to stop at stations with short platforms and forcing the train to bypass Berwick.

On the demand for compensation, Taylor said the train would have had to have stopped anyway for 13 minutes to make up the time it would have gained by not stopping at the short-platform stations it was supposed to.

He said: "By not stopping at those stations it would have gained 13 minutes so to blame me for that delay is hypocritical." Taylor was released on bail.