Man and woman guilty of a “nasty” incident on a late train to Flint

A man and woman have been sentenced in connection to a violent incident on a late-night train from Chester to Flint.

The pair appeared before Chester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 5th July.

John Atherton, 36, from Rhyl, pleaded guilty to affray and was handed an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

In addition, he was instructed to abstain from alcohol for 120 days, ordered to engage in a 35-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, and obligated to pay £234 in victim surcharge and court fees.

Sarah Hickman, 51 from, Prestatyn, pleaded guilty to common assault.

She was given a community order, requiring her to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and to pay £234 for victim surcharge and court fees.

The incident in question took place following a night out in Chester on Saturday 15th October last year. After spending the evening drinking, Atherton and Hickman boarded a busy Chester to Flint train at around 11.15pm.

Hickman became involved in a verbal altercation over seating, which escalated into physical violence when she pulled another woman’s hair.

This led the victim and her friends to move to the vestibule area of the train.

Atherton followed them, and the altercation continued as he pulled the hair of an unknown woman and put a man in a headlock who tried to intervene.

The situation was brought under control when several passengers intervened, taking Atherton to the floor as the train stopped at Rhyl station.

Both Atherton and Hickman were subsequently met by police at the scene.

Reflecting on the incident, PC Nathan Lewis from the British Transport Police commented, “What started out as a fun night for both groups of people, ended up with two arrests and three nasty assaults.”

He underscored that while alcohol may have been a factor in the incident, it does not excuse violent behaviour.

PC Lewis reiterated the zero-tolerance approach to violence on the rail network, and the commitment of the force to bring perpetrators to justice.

He reminded passengers to report any instances of uncomfortable or disturbing behaviour to British Transport Police via text on 61016.