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Tuesday 7 Oct 2025

Trespasser jailed after causing 57 hours’ worth of delays through Clapham Junction

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

A trespasser who caused travel chaos after trespassing on the tracks near one of Britain’s busiest railway stations has been jailed for eight weeks.

Anthony Andre, 42 of Fulham Road, went onto the tracks by Clapham Junction station at around 6.30pm on Tuesday 10 September.

In order to ensure his safety, power was switched off to the electric rail, which powers trains through the Clapham area.

Andre was quickly removed from the tracks and arrested but his actions resulted in 38 trains being partially or fully cancelled and caused a total of 3,427 minutes worth of delays to passengers during the evening rush hour.

He was remanded in custody and appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on 12 September, where he pleaded guilty to trespass and obstruction, and sentenced to eight weeks in prison.

Speaking on behalf of Network Rail, Southern Railway and South Western Railway, Paul Langley, Head of Security, Crime and Resilience, said “Trespassing on the railway is incredibly dangerous. Trains in the south east are powered by the electric rail, which carries 750 volts and easily enough to kill or cause devastating life-changing injuries.

“We hope this sentence sends a message that trespassing on the railway will not be tolerated. Anthony Andre is lucky to be walking away with a prison sentence, as it could have ended in tragedy. His actions not only put his own life at risk, but caused huge disruption for thousands of passengers trying to get home, or to see friends and family. We work hard every day to keep people safe and trains running. Incidents like this are a stark reminder of how quickly things can go wrong, and why we always take trespass so seriously.”

Investigating officer PC Darren Ryan said: “Not only is trespassing exceedingly dangerous, potentially resulting in life-changing injuries or even death, but it’s also illegal and we will take firm action against those that break the law. Andre chose to trespass during a week of strikes, causing even further disruption and chaos for the network, so I’m pleased with the result in this case. 

“I would urge members of the public who witness incidents of trespass to contact us by texting 61016 or call us on 0800 40 50 40 so that we can help prevent any tragic accidents from taking place on the railway lines.”

Earlier this year, Network Rail and British Transport Police released a new series of films called “Stay off the Tracks” as part of their You vs Train campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the dangers present around the railway, and the catastrophic, life-changing impacts of coming into contact with them.

The films feature first responders collaborating with professionals from the film industry to recreate the sights, sounds and impacts they have encountered when dealing with life-threatening injuries caused by coming into contact with the electric rail – the rail that powers trains and carries 750 volts of electricity. It's a tactic designed to hammer home the devastating effects of electrical injuries, as told by first responders in their own words.