AN ‘ATTENTION seeker’, who obstructed trains at Solihull station and delayed passengers, has been jailed.
Karl Lee, of no fixed address, has been sentenced to 15 weeks behind bars after he delayed passengers for more than 5 hours by standing by the line and on a bridge on September 5 and 7, threatening to harm himself.
The 26-year-old was assessed twice following the incidents by healthcare professionals, who deemed he was not suffering from any mental health issues.
They did say he has an attention seeking behaviour disorder.
After the second occasion, Lee of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with two counts of obstructing the railway, which he admitted, and was handed 15 weeks of jail term at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on October 31.
PC Tim Woodhouse from British Transport Police said: “There are people out there who are in genuine mental health crisis and who call the emergency services for help.
“In those circumstances, their safety is our priority and we do everything we can to make sure they get the support they need, with no prosecution sought.
“However, Lee is not suffering from any such condition and is simply an attention seeker, whose actions affected 38 services, delaying passengers and costing the rail industry more than £12,000.
“We are satisfied with the sentence handed to Lee, which shows the courts take such offences seriously, and we hope it will act as a deterrent to anyone else who thinks it is acceptable to obstruct the railway in this way.”
