Train bottle attacker jailed for 12 years after attempted murder conviction

A man who carried out a violent bottle attack on two fellow passengers aboard a train has been sentenced to 12 years in prison following a British Transport Police investigation.

Thomas Craig, 48, of Walton Street in East Renfrewshire, appeared at Glasgow High Court on 12 January, where he was handed a 12-year custodial sentence along with an additional three-year supervision period to follow his release. The sentence comes after he was found guilty of attempted murder and serious assault on 28 November, following a four-day trial at the same court.

The court heard that the incident took place on 16 February 2024 while Craig was travelling on a train from Glasgow Queen Street to Perth. He was intoxicated and began speaking to passengers seated opposite him across the aisle. Around ten minutes later, Craig shouted an insult at one of the men before abruptly leaping from his seat and striking him twice on the head with a glass bottle.

As the injured man fled through the carriage, Craig chased him, continuing to hit him with the bottle until it shattered, leaving Craig holding the broken neck. When the victim’s friend attempted to step in, Craig turned on him, punching him seven times before thrusting the broken bottle neck into his chest on two occasions.

After the attack, Craig returned to his seat, throwing the broken glass towards where the men had been sitting. He then took one of the victim’s mobile phones and put it in his pocket before walking through the train and changing out of his bloodstained jumper into a clean hoodie from his belongings.

Emergency services met the train at Larbert railway station, where both victims were treated before being taken urgently to hospital. Craig was arrested on board by police officers. The second victim sustained life-threatening injuries and was placed in intensive care, having suffered a stab wound close to his heart, a collapsed lung and a severed artery, losing around 15% of his blood.

BTP Detective Inspector Marc Francey said:

"I am extremely pleased with the result the court has handed down today - Craig acted with mindless aggression that day, attacking his two victims over a minor disagreement. His indiscriminate and thuggish actions could have resulted in far more severe consequences, and he will now face the consequences and spend the next 12 years behind bars. It is thanks only to luck and to the lifesaving work of the paramedics that Craig hasn’t been found guilty of something far worse. I hope this sentence brings a measure of closure to the victims and their families after such a brutal attack. Violence on the railway is utterly unacceptable, and we will relentlessly pursue offenders like Craig to ensure they face justice.”

Image: British Transport Police