Man Who Caused "Britain's Most Expensive High-Speed Rail Incident" Is Jailed

14 August 2019, 14:53

The cost of the disruption is estimated to be more than £1 million.

A man who caused huge disruption to trains between London, Kent and France has jailed.

Terry Maher climbed on top of a tunnel overlooking the lines at St Pancras International station for more than 13 hours.

He headed onto the tunnel with a St George's flag, chargers for his phone and warm clothing to be able to stay up there for so long.

He eventually came down voluntarily after conversations with negotiators.

The 44 year old, from Camden, complained to officers about Brexit and the police force when he was arrested after his descent.

Maher was sentenced to one year in jail at Blackfriars Crown Court on Monday after being found guilty of malicious obstruction of the railway.

Maher’s actions stopped high speed trains travelling to the south east and France, disrupting thousands of commutes and delaying trips abroad.

It led to the cancellation of 88 trains, and 22, 000 people were directly affected, delayed, inconvenienced or had to abandon their travel plans entirely.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Dean Percival called the incident “the single most expensive incident in the history of high-speed railway in Britain."

“However, not only did it cost the rail industry, it also cost thousands of commuters and holiday-makers their time, significantly delaying their journeys and leaving them stranded at stations desperate for the situation to be resolved."

“Maher’s selfish actions profoundly impacted the day to day lives of the public; that impact is what he was brought to court to answer for.”