UK NEWS

HORROR ON THE RAIL TRACK

WHERE THEY DIED: A blue plastic sheet covers the spot where the man and woman were hit by the train

Wednesday April 16,2008

By Martin Evans

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A COUPLE were killed by a train yesterday after straying on to the tracks during an argument at a railway station.

Police were last night investigating if the man, thought to be in his 30s, was trying to stop the woman from committing suicide.

The train was doing 80mph when the driver saw the couple on the tracks ahead, just before 8am. He sounded his horn and braked but was unable to stop the train in time.

Commuters waiting at Harlow Mill station in Essex saw the train hit them.

The woman was last night named by local residents as Katie Gumble.

Officers from British Transport Police were examining CCTV footage to find out how the pair, thought to be boyfriend and girlfriend, ended up on the tracks. Witnesses reported seeing a couple in a tussle just before the 6.18am King’s Lynn to Liverpool Street through-train approached.

Det Chief Insp David Shipperlee said: “Raised voices were heard. It would appear from CCTV evidence that the couple were on the tracks and they were both pulling at each other. They were standing in the southbound lane and were seen on the CCTV to be tussling.

“It’s not clear at this stage who was pulling whom and for what reason.

“It may be the male was trying to pull the female away, as was suggested by one witness. We have spoken to people on the platform and some relatives of the woman have visited the scene.”

Yesterday a middle-aged woman sobbed as she was driven away in a Range Rover with a middle-aged man, woman and a young child.

The train and its passengers was taken on to another station where they were given refreshments and interviewed. DCI Shipperlee said: “The driver is in shock, he is traumatised and being well cared for by his employers.”

Bradley Pressman, 53, who owns Mill Cars next to the station, said: “I heard the man and woman were seen on the platform arguing and rowing before they were hit. I don’t know how they came to be on the tracks.

It is always happening down here – there have been three suicides in three months.”

WHY WASTE POLICE TIME INVESTIGATING?

16.04.08, 2:45pm

Either it was an accident, or the woman killed the man or the man killed the woman. No one else killed either of them. This is one instance where we really don't need to waste police resources investigating it - we can't do anything with the information!

Same goes for Mark Speight. It's obvious he killed himself. We don't need to spend time and money analysing CCTV records to find out exactly what moment of what hour it happened. Free up the police to do useful work.

• Posted by: IJones • Report Comment