Schoolboy, 15, dragged off train by conductor who 'asked him politely'

A 15-year-old boy appears to have been picked up and hurled off a Northern train by a conductor while on his way to school.

Jennifer Hurrell's teenage son, Marley, boarded the Wigan train at Appley Bridge, Shevington, with his twin sister Milly at around 8.30am on Wednesday, November 22. The mum said she purchased their tickets on the Trainline app that morning, with virtual copies being emailed to the children's phones - but when a conductor asked to see the tickets, Marley was unable to immediately present his due to a poor wi-fi connection.

A shocking video - taken by Milly - shows the conductor grabbing the teenager as he appears to attempt to bring up the ticket on his phone. Marley can be heard saying "Do not touch me. Get off me now" as the conductor appears to drag him out of his seat and onto the platform at Gathurst, tearing the sleeve off his coat in the process.

Jennifer, 40, said: "It was absolutely shocking. Just brutal force, not even trying to guide him off. You can see Marley trying to load up his ticket - you can clearly see him doing it in the video. He wasn't getting mad. But (the conductor) just picked him up and chucked him off the train.

"They were stuck at the train station and Milly rang me crying, saying please come and pick us up. I don't know what to do now because they get the train every day, but I don't want them on the train if they're going to come up against him. I've contacted Northern but there's nothing being done right now, it's a process. I'm worried now to let them go on the train."

After seeming to push Marley onto the platform, the conductor can be heard saying: "Off my train now. I asked you politely. On camera, I asked you politely." Marley then pushes the man as he steps back onto the train, leaving the two teenagers outside.

Jennifer said: "I felt absolutely so shook up. I was so upset and shaken. There was no need for it at all. It was shocking, and I feel even worse having contacted police, because they didn't seem interested."

She said she was instructed to contact British Transport Police, the special force that polices the railway network, and waited for 45 minutes on the phone before submitting her report online. She also reported the incident to Northern.

She said: "I just feel there should be consequences. He should not be working in a place like that if he is going to treat minors this way. Even if Marley wasn't a child, it would be bad enough anyway. Marley is really shook up. Usually he is a confident lad but he was really shocked. He didn't expect it for one second. He's worried about getting the train again and bumping into him.

"If Marley had done that to a conductor I would've had police at my door within an hour. I feel like because it's the other way around, nobody cares and it's not a big issue."

Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern, said: “We are aware of the incident at Gathurst station on Wednesday 22 November and have seen the footage that has been shared on social media. We are in the process of conducting an internal investigation and have already spoken to the conductor of the service in question and will be reviewing the CCTV footage from the station.”

A British Transport Police spokesman said: "Officers are currently investigating reports of an assault on board a Northern Rail service toward Wigan in the morning of Wednesday, November 22. Enquiries into this incident are ongoing, with BTP liaising with Northern Rail. Anyone with information is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 328 of November 22 2023."

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