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Mother defeats gang of football yobs by staging railway track protest until staff who refused to intervene FINALLY call police

When a gang of drunken football yobs began hurling foul abuse at a mother and her five-year-old son on a train, she presumed someone would intervene. But the driver refused to call the police or stop the train and the guard was nowhere to be seen. Faced with giving in or standing up to the 30-strong group, Lisa Robinson decided to take them on. When the train reached her station she got off and stood in front of it, refusing to move until the driver called police. Rail company Arriva then terminated the train there, leaving the abusive fans to make their own way home.

Yesterday Mrs Robinson said: ^It was a terrifying experience, but I^m glad I did it. It was a victory for ordinary people.^

The 41-year-old mother had been on a day out with her husband Peter, 61, and their son Harry to celebrate his fifth birthday. The couple, civil servants from Ystrad Mynach near Caerphilly in South Wales, had taken Harry to Cardiff before returning home on the Arriva service. As they boarded the two-carriage train on Saturday September 25, they realised it was full of drunken Cardiff City fans who had just seen their team beat Millwall. The family tried to ignore the shouting and swearing hooligans, but when the train arrived at a station and the gang began abusing a woman on the platform, Mrs Robinson decided to intervene.

^I walked down to the group and asked the main perpetrator to stop swearing,^ she said. ^They then turned their abuse on me, calling me a ^dyke^ and a string of four-letter words. Nobody said anything. I was terrified. I wanted to alert the guard, but there was no way into the next carriage so we were completely trapped. Then they swore at my husband, who was sitting with Harry, and taunted him about his age. By the time the train set off again I was crying and shaking.^

She was so frightened she pulled the emergency handle at the next station. But she said that when the driver got into the carriage, he simply reset the alarm and went back to drive the train, ignoring her husband^s request to call the police.

Mrs Robinson added: ^The train carried on for another two stops, with the abuse continuing, until it arrived at our station, Ystrad Mynach. When I got off I had Harry in my arms and he was crying. The driver completely ignored us and told us to take it up with the guard. We had not seen one for the entire journey ^ I think he had been too frightened to intervene. It was then I decided to take direct action. I spoke to the driver who again ignored me ^ he wouldn^t even take his sunglasses off to talk to me. So I handed Harry to Peter, got on to the tracks and stopped the train from leaving the station. Some of the football yobs got off to give me more abuse and take pictures of me on their mobiles.^

She said the guard then appeared and asked her to move, which she refused to do. She eventually moved after the station controller promised her he would not move the train and that the police would be called. Two British Transport Police officers arrived and, after discussions with railway officials, the train was terminated. Mrs Robinson said yesterday that she was glad she had made a stand and would do it again.

^I think too often these yobs are allowed to get away with it,^ she added. ^When the thugs started kicking off, one woman said to me that I should accept it as it was just the world we live in. But I refuse to live in a society where this sort of thing goes unpunished. Arriva sent me flowers and apologies, but what they really need to do is plan to make sure these things don^t happen. They knew there was a football game on and should have laid on extra staff. Instead, they had one guard who I^m convinced was hiding in the other carriage. I still can^t believe the driver ignored my husband when he asked him to phone the police.^

Peter Northcott, head of stations at Arriva Trains Wales, said: ^We take all complaints very seriously and I personally contacted Mr and Mrs Robinson on the day of this incident. A full investigation is taking place with the British Transport Police.^

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: ^Inquiries, including viewing CCTV and speaking to witnesses who were on the train, which was travelling between Penarth and Bargoed, are ongoing.^

BTP need to bo**ock her for going onto the track.
What kind of example does it set, oh ill go down onto the track cos I'm not getting my own way.

Woman on track halts train after Cardiff fans' abuse

A mother subjected to "obscene" insults by football fans on a train stood on the track at a railway station until police were called.

Lisa Robinson, 41, was on the train with her husband and son, five, when they were verbally abused by Cardiff City fans after a win over Millwall.

She stepped on to the tracks at Ystrad Mynach until police arrived.

The train was terminated and the fans had to end the journey on foot. British Transport Police are investigating.

Ms Robinson, a civil servant, and her husband Peter, 61, were on a day trip to Cardiff on 25 September to celebrate the their son's birthday and were returning home.

She said about 30 drunken Cardiff fans were on the Penarth-to-Bargoed Arriva Trains Wales service, celebrating their team's win after an early home kick-off against the London club.

She said things turned nasty when they began shouting sexist chants at a woman on the platform at Lisvane railway station and Ms Robinson asked them to stop.

She said: "Then their chanting became directly to me and it became sexist and quite obscene until by the time we got Caerphilly, I pulled the red handle and stopped the train."

The train driver came out and Mr Robinson asked him to call the police, but the driver reset the handle and continued with the journey.

The family were then "effectively trapped" on the train until they arrived at their home station of Ystrad Mynach, said Ms Robinson.

At the station the family got off the train and Ms Robinson again asked the driver to call the police but he refused, so she decided to take "direct action".

Ms Robinson said: "I slithered down off the platform on to the track. I wanted to protect both my husband and my child and I wanted this behaviour to stop. Some of the fans got off the train and took pictures of me with mobile phones and continued to abuse me.

"This is my community, this is my village. We're not going to be bullied and certainly for women and families, they should be able to travel on the train in peace and quiet and go about their business without being bullied like that."

The police were eventually called, and the service was terminated.

Wayne David, Labour MP for Caerphilly, called the "apparent inactivity" of Arriva Trains Wales and British Transport Police "unacceptable" and said he would be in touch with them about the incident. "No member of the public should be subject to abuse of this kind and it must never happen again," he added.

British Transport Police said: "BTP officers attended Ystrad Mynach railway station after a report that a woman had been verbally abused by a group of football fans after she challenged their behaviour on board the train. BTP does not tolerate anti-social behaviour of any nature on the railway network and will do everything it can to identify offenders and bring them to justice."

Peter Northcott, head of stations at Arriva Trains Wales, said: "We take all complaints very seriously and I personally contacted Mr and Mrs Robinson on the day of this incident. A full investigation is taking place with the British Transport Police."

Gordon, can I ask that we don't call others sad, just for expressing an alternative point of view.

Brucey and SDS, how sad you are.  .....

CCTV of soccer fans whose abuse led to train protest

CCTV images have been released of 10 men accused of "obscene" behaviour to a female train passenger prompting her to stand in protest on the track until police were called.

Lisa Robinson, 41, her husband and son, five, were verbally abused by Cardiff City fans on the Penarth-Bargoed service on Saturday 25 September.

She halted the train at Ystrad Mynach after her complaints went unheeded.

The Bluebirds fans were travelling home after a home win over Millwall.

Now British Transport Police (BTP) has issued still pictures of 10 men they want to question over a disturbance.

Mrs Robinson, a civil servant, was returning home with husband Peter, 61, and son Harry, from celebrating Harry's birthday in Cardiff. She told British Transport Police (BTP) how City fans began abusing her after she asked them to stop shouting sexist chants at a woman on the platform at Lisvane railway station.

"Then their chanting became directly to me and it became sexist and quite obscene until by the time we got Caerphilly, I pulled the red handle and stopped the train," she said.

The train driver came out and Mr Robinson asked him to call the police, but the driver continued with the journey.

Once she arrived at her home station of Ystrad Mynach, Ms Robinson again asked the driver to call the police. When he refused, she decided take "direct action" and climbed down onto the track. She said she was abused further by the men before the police were called. The service was subsequently terminated at the station, leaving the football fans to walk away.

"This is my community, this is my village," she said. "We're not going to be bullied and certainly for women and families, they should be able to travel on the train in peace and quiet and go about their business without being bullied like that."

British Transport Police (BTP) Detective Inspector Mark Cleland said: "BTP will not tolerate disorder or anti-social behaviour of any kind on trains or at railway stations across the network. Tens of thousands of football fans use Britain's railways to get to and from matches every week and the vast majority of them are well behaved and cause BTP no problems whatsoever. However, a minority show complete disregard for other passengers, including those travelling with young children, and members of rail staff - all of whom have the right to travel or carry out their duties without being frightened, intimidated or subjected to loutish behaviour by a minority of so-called fans."

Anyone who recognises any of the 10 men in the CCTV images is urged to contact British Transport Police on on 0800 40 50 40 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

No action on claim of train abuse by Cardiff City fans

British Transport Police (BTP) say no action will taken following claims of verbal abuse by a woman at the hands of football fans on a train. Lisa Robinson said she was so angry at abuse by Cardif City fans she stood on tracks in front of the train at Ystrad Mynach until police arrived.

An investigation was launched into her allegations, made in September. But a BTP spokesperson said crown prosecutors decided that no further action will be taken. The incident was reported to police after a match between Cardiff City and Millwall.

Ms Robinson, a civil servant, said she was on a train service from Penarth to Bargoed with her husband and five-year-old son when trouble erupted. She claimed that drunken Cardiff fans began chanting sexist abuse at a woman on a platform at Lisvane in the city, and then turned the abuse on her.
CCTV footage She said it prompted her to pull the emergency train alarm at Caerphilly, but the train driver decided to proceed. At Ystrad Mynach, she asked the driver to call the police, and then said she decided to take "direct action" by standing on the track until officers finally arrived. The train service was eventually terminated at the station.

BTP said it launched a detailed investigation following the allegations made by Ms Robinson.

"It included officers carrying out extensive enquiries including viewing hours of CCTV footage, and tracing and interviewing more than a dozen witnesses who were on board the train, as well as gathering statements from rail staff and members of the public," said a police spokesperson. "A detailed file was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service which has, after careful consideration, decided no further action will be taken in relation to the above incident."