A man who subjected staff at a railway station to racist and homophobic abuse, and who assaulted a train guard, has been sentenced.

John Gilbert, 40, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday, March 20 to 16 months imprisonment having previously pleaded guilty to racially and homophobically aggravated harassment, assault, and possession of a knife.

The court heard how Gilbert walked through the gates at Woking railway station on August 1 last year. When a member of staff asked him to scan his ticket, Gilbert instantly became aggressive.

He hurled homophobic abuse at the woman’s colleague, before racially and homophobically abusing both members of staff when he was asked to leave the station.

At one point, Gilbert claimed he “wasn’t breaking the law” as he continued to barrage the two members of staff with racial slurs and homophobic abuse.

Gilbert continued to act aggressively as he left the station and shouted a final piece of racist abuse as he exited.

Later in the year on Monday, November 11, Gilbert was on a train from London Waterloo railway station to West Byfleet railway station and was asked by a train guard if he had a ticket.

Gilbert grew aggressive, verbally abusing the train guard before being escorted off the service. Gilbert then hit the train guard in the face with a bottle full of liquid while verbally abusing him.

British Transport Police (BTP) were called to the station and Gilbert was arrested on suspicion of assault, and after being searched was further arrested for possession of a bladed article after a knife housed in a makeshift sheath was found on his person.

Investigating officer PC Andrew Westbrook said: “We will not tolerate violent or abusive behaviour of any kind on the railway network, whether it be towards passengers, rail staff, or police officers. Gilbert is clearly a violent and dangerous person, so I am very happy with a result that takes him off of the railway network.

“The victims in this case were simply trying to do their job. Subjecting them to this kind of awful verbal and physical abuse is completely abhorrent and totally unacceptable. No one should expect to come to work to be subject to vile racial or homophobic slurs, or should have to face violence as they attempt to carry out their work.

“I’d like to remind passengers that they can report any crimes or concerns on the railway, including verbal abuse, by texting 61016 so we can take action.”

According to the latest release of the police force area data tables (year ending September 2024) from the Office for National Statistics, BTP recorded a 15 per cent increase in public order offences, which includes racially and homophobically aggravated harassment.

Violence without injury increased by 16 per cent, and violence against a person was up by 14 per cent.

Last year, the BBC revealed that assaults on rail staff were at a four-year high, with the number nearly 10 per cent higher than pre-pandemic.