Rail passenger Hewie Bennett threatened train driver at Theale

A RAIL passenger threw a drunken tantrum and threatened the driver when he couldn’t get off at his stop.

The alarming incident happened on the platform at Theale in front of shocked commuters, Reading magistrates heard.

When he appeared in the dock on Wednesday, October 23, Hewie Bennett admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause the train driver, Andre De-Neuville, to believe that immediate unlawful violence would be used against him on Friday, April 5.

But he denied having warned he was armed with a knife and the prosecution agreed to proceed on that basis.

Helen Gambrill, prosecuting, said 36-year-old Bennett, a pipefitter at a firm in Barton Road, Tilehurst, became enraged when he was apparently unable to get off at his chosen stop because the exit buttons on the train door had not been activated.

She said he began banging on the driver’s cabin and yelling once the train stopped at Theale.

In a victim impact statement, the driver said he had been so shocked by the incident he did not take the train up to full power but called ahead to his colleagues.

He added: “As I drove off I started to shake; I didn’t take the service to full power but called a signaller alert; I felt frightened, intimidated and threatened with the strong possibility of him having a blade.

“I was concerned he might get a train from Theale and another driver would have to deal with his threats and aggression - if it was a lone female driver, how would she react to that?”

Rajah Azam, defending, conceded that his client had been drinking and asked for credit for his early guilty plea.

Assistant district judge Low Keem said: “One thing in common between the prosecution and defence is that both accept that there was no knife.

“However, you caused the driver to fear for his personal safety and I take the view that he was caused serious alarm and distress.

“A Newton hearing (a mini trial to establish disputed facts) is not necessary to determine whether you said you had a knife - because you didn’t have one, it doesn’t cross the custody threshold.”

She added: “An aggravating feature is the fact that you were intoxicated and the train driver, who was carrying out his job, feared for his safety and possibly that of other people.”

Bennett, of Salisbury Road, Reading, was made subject to a 12 month community order and required to complete 60 hours of unpaid community work.

In addition he was ordered to pay £85 costs plus a statutory victim services surcharge of £114.

Finally, Bennett was ordered to pay the train driver £200 compensation.