Section:GDN 1N PaGe:26 Edition Date:190906 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 5/9/2019 20:06 cYanmaGentaYellowbl
- The Guardian Friday 6 September 2019
(^26) National
Police report 16% increase in
violent crime on rail network
Amy Walker
The number of violent crimes recorded
on Britain’s railways rose by 16% last
year, offi cial statistics show.
In 2018-19, there were 13,591 such
off ences – including attempted murder
and serious or common assault – com-
pared with 11,671 in the previous year.
The British Transport Police (BTP),
which published the fi gures, said pre-
venting serious violence and knife
crime on the rail network remained
one of its highest priorities.
There was also a signifi cant rise in all
crimes, with 68,313 off ences recorded
between 1 April last year and 31 March
2019 – a 12% increase on 2017-18.
Adrian Hanstock , the deputy chief
constable of the BTP, said the record
number of passengers using the rail-
ways was behind the rise in crime
rates. Theft, anti social behaviour
and shoplifting accounted for a large
proportion of the overall increase “as
stations become increasingly commer-
cial environments”, he said.
“Despite this increase, when put
into context it is important to remem-
ber that the chance of becoming a
victim of crime on the railway is very
low,” Hanstock said. “Of course, any
rise in crime is of concern to us and we
are tackling this head on through our
problem-solving initiatives .”
The largest share of overall off ences
was recorded by BTP’s north of Eng-
land division, where there were 27,377
off ences last year. The division also
had the largest number of recorded
violent crimes in 2018-19, at 5,729.
There were six homicides on British
railways in 2018-19, including the
murder of Lee Pomeroy , 51, who was
stabbed to death after an argument on
a Guildford to London train.
▲ Lee Pomeroy, who was stabbed to
death after an argument on a train
All Muslims
should die,
said racist
before knife
attack in
car park
PA Media
A racist vowed to “kill all Muslims”
before trying to murder a teenager
in London the day after the Christ-
church mosque terror attacks, a court
has heard.
Vincent Fuller, 50, lunged with a
kitchen knife at 19-year-old Dimitar
Mihaylov through a car window in a
Tesco car park in Stanwell, west Lon-
don, on the night of 16 March. He said
“you’re going to die” before stabbing
the man in the hand , Kingston crown
court heard yesterday.
Fuller pleaded guilty to attempted
murder at a previous hearing and pros-
ecutors say he is a far-right terrorist
who, in the hours leading up to the
attack, was heard shouting: “All Mus-
lims should die. White supremacists
rule. I’m going to murder a Muslim.”
He also praised the man who car-
ried out the New Zealand shootings,
which left 51 dead, after watching a
livestream video of the atrocity. Fuller
said: “I agree with what that man did
in New Zealand as we will not be brain-
washed.” In an online post, he wrote:
“I am English, no matter what the gov-
ernment say. Kill all the non-English
and get them all out of our England. ”
The prosecutor, Jonathan Polnay ,
said : “Fuller entered the car park and
put into eff ect his stated plan to ‘kill
a Muslim’. This defendant went on a
rampage on the streets of Stanwell.
“There is no issue between the pros-
ecution and defence that his conduct
was motivated by racist and religious
hatred, bolstered by the consump-
tion of alcohol. The prosecution go a
step further – that his intention was to
strike fear into the hearts of people he
described as ‘non-English’, in partic-
ular Muslims.”
Fuller, from Stanwell, also admit-
ted carrying a knife, aff ray and racially
aggravated threatening behaviour
with intent to cause harassment, alarm
or distress. Before the attack on Mihay-
lov, Fuller left his maisonette armed
with a Chelsea football club-branded
baseball bat, which he used to bang
on the door of his neighbour, Param-
jit Bansal, who is of Indian heritage.
Video footage from a camera in her
doorbell, which was played in court,
shows Fuller, hooded and wearing a
cap, swinging the weapon and twice
shouting for her to come out.
Fuller was also caught on CCTV as
he wandered up and down Town Lane
swinging his bat at those inside pass-
ing cars, hitting one so hard he broke
his weapon.
Mihaylov was parked in his BMW
with his window down at about 11pm
when Fuller approached. The prosecu-
tor said the blade went into the victim’s
hand as he tried to defend himself and
clipped his neck before Mihaylov was
able to drive away.
Mihaylov, a roofer, missed three
months of work because of his injuries.
He said in a victim-impact statement:
“I realise how lucky I am to have made
it considering how many little details
could have gone wrong and ended up
with a knife in my neck, which is why
I now have a tattoo saying “second
chance’ on my neck.”
As Fuller was Tasered and arrested
by armed police, he called offi cers
“immigrant scum” and “race traitor”.
When asked his name, he replied: “Go
fuck your mum, that’s my name.”
Fuller tested positive for canna-
bis and alcohol and told police he had
downed a large bottle of cider and
three cans of strong lager.
In police interviews, he branded his
Facebook post about the Christchurch
massacre “disgusting” and claimed
“I’m not racist”, telling offi cers he had
friends from Kenya and Jamaica.
Judge Peter Lodder QC said he must
decide whether the attack is “terror-
ist connected” before sentencing him
tomorrow or next week.
Fuller has 24 previous convictions
for 59 off ences, including a six-year
prison sentence in 1998 for robbery
after he stole handbags from elderly
women.
▲ Vincent Fuller called a police offi cer
‘immigrant scum’ as he was arrested
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