Article: Police investigate Flinders St bashing video

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Police investigate Flinders St bashing video

Police investigate Flinders St bashing video
Article from: Herald Sun

Geraldine Mitchell

April 09, 2009 12:00am

A SHOCKING video of a commuter being allegedly bashed by a train driver at Flinders St Station is being investigated by police.
The footage was taken on a mobile phone by 13-year-old Mitchell Smith as horrified passengers looked on.

The driver then allegedly left his cabin and followed the passenger to the platform where he repeatedly punched the man violently on the ground.

"He was just continuously hitting him,'' he said.

His mother, Maree, was also horrified.

"I couldn't believe the arm action of the man continuously just belting him,'' she said.

Connex has stood down the driver while the incident is investigated and has handed over CCTV footage to Victoria Police.

Connex managing director Alan Chaplin said the serious nature of the matter led to the decision to immediately suspend the driver from duty.

"There will be a full investigation by us and the police,'' he said.

"We will await the results of our investigation before deciding what further action should be taken, but I can assure our customers incidents like this are extremely rare.''

Mr Chaplin said Connex would also consider other measures it could introduce to reduce the chance of any such incident happening again.

A spokesman for Acting Public Transport Minister Tim Pallas did not comment on the incident only confirming that a thorough investigation was underway.

[glossyblack]

Should any person with such obvious anger management and behavioural problems be allowed to be in charge of any public vehicle?
Anyone who can lose it that quickly and so brutally really needs counselling. It doesn't matter what the customer said, there is no excuse for this type of reaction. Maybe the driver is an ex swimmer?

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Shocking video shows passenger abused train driver

Shocking video shows passenger abused train driver
Article from: Herald Sun

Geraldine Mitchell and Brendan Roberts

April 10, 2009 12:00am

THE train passenger at the centre of a violent daytime assault at Flinders St Station is now believed to have started the fracas.

The Herald Sun can reveal CCTV footage provided to police allegedly shows the passenger punch, headbutt, shove and spit at a train driver.

The driver is then seen, on a mobile phone video, repeatedly bashing the man on the platform.

A rail source said the passenger provoked the driver and urged him to get into a fight before shoving him against the carriage and headbutting him.

Thirteen-year-old Mitchell, who captured the violence on his phone on Tuesday, was adamant the passenger instigated the attack.

"He was saying, 'hit me, just once'," he said.

Other train drivers said the passenger was aggressive.

"How long does it take to turn on a phone camera? How much of the incident was missed? What would you do if someone attacked you for doing your job?" a driver said.

But witness Kerryn Casey said both men were aggressive.

"I saw (the victim) mouthing off at the train driver and then the train driver jumped off the train and approached him in a boxing stance and he stood there egging the passenger on for a fight," she said.

"They were both yelling and screaming at each other, then the train driver began punching him repeatedly."

Ms Casey said several shocked commuters witnessed the 10-minute attack.

"The driver would stop for about 20 seconds and then he'd set off again and start punching," she said.

"The poor guy was on the ground and wasn't fighting back, he was just lying there as they were yelling at each other."

The Herald Sun can confirm the altercation began after cleaners moved onto the train to clean up vomit, forcing a delay to the Craigieburn service.

It is believed the passenger suffered a broken nose and cuts and bruises from the attack.

Police have not laid charges but have interviewed both the driver and the passenger.

Connex has stood down the driver pending the outcome of the police investigation.