Man jailed for railway attack

A 33-YEAR-old man has been jailed after pushing a woman onto the railway tracks at Farningham Road railway station.

Although 59-year-old Linda Buchanan escaped the incident with only a fractured wrist and bruising to her legs, police have said the outcome could have been very different.

Yesterday at Maidstone Crown Court, Ionel Rapisca, of Joyce Green Lane, Dartford, was sentenced after he was found guilty of grievous bodily harm.

But he was found not guilty of a separate charge of grievous bodily harm with intent.

No further action was taken against another man who was also arrested in connection with the incident, in August 2008.

Detective chief inspector Gareth Williams, of British Transport Police, said: "This was an appalling act of violence on a woman who was simply intending to catch an early morning commuter train to London.

"As a result of the unprovoked attack, she suffered a range of physical injuries and the incident has left her profoundly traumatised to this day.

"Miss Buchanan was extremely lucky that she wasn't more seriously injured as she fell near to a rail carrying 750 volts of electricity and the arrival of her train was imminent.

"Ionel Rapisca's actions could easily have resulted in a very different outcome.

"His four-year jail sentence for this serious offence is justice for an unprovoked, senseless and reckless act that threatened the life of a fellow commuter."