From
Peterborough Today:
A woman has been banned from visiting train stations without a ticket after jumping onto railway tracks seven times in 13 months.
Tracey Maples (29), of Oundle Road, Peterborough, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates^ Court yesterday, where she was given an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) restricting her movements at train stations.
The court was told she had a number of convictions for trespassing on the line, when she had jumped from the platform onto the tracks in an apparent suicide bid.
The ASBO prevents Maples from going beyond a ticket or booking office at any train station in England or Wales for the next two years without a valid train ticket.
Maples was told that if she breached the order, she could face up to five years in prison.
The court was also told Maples had been arrested on January 22 for walking out into Oundle Road in front of moving cars, again in an apparent suicide bid.
District Judge Ken Sheraton said that Maples was suffering from mental health problems and imposed an 18-month community order, including a mental health treatment order and supervision. He said: ^The charge that brings you here is causing a nuisance on the roads. Your history of offending shows that you were arrested seven times at Peterborough station, in areas you should not have been, since the start of 2011.
^This shows you have behaved in an anti-social way and I am satisfied that an Anti-Social Behaviour Order is necessary to prevent further anti-social acts. Failing to comply with the order is a more serious offence than trespass and you could be sent to prison for five years.^
PC Karl Palmer, from British Transport Police, said it was important to impose the order to protect Maples and the public. He said: ^It is rare for us to apply for an ASBO, but in this case it is important for the safety of Maples, the general public and ourselves. If the public see someone on the tracks, then often their first reaction is to try and help them. They may not always look to see if a train is coming.^
A Network Rail spokesman said trespassing on the tracks was always dangerous. He said: ^Trespassing on the railway is incredibly dangerous, with trains travelling up to 125mph on the east coast main line. Unlike cars, trains cannot swerve or brake quickly and at those speeds can be upon you very quickly. While fatalities are thankfully few, anyone taking a short cut or walking across the tracks can cause considerable delays to services as we slow trains or even stop them while investigating reports of trespassing. Even if no-one is hurt, this is not a victimless crime.^
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