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Ipswich railway station climber Mantas Badauskas jailed | Ipswich railway station climber Mantas Badauskas jailed |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A Lithuanian man, who disrupted train services across East Anglia by climbing onto the roof of Ipswich railway station, has been jailed for 16 months. | |
Mantas Badauskas, 26, of no fixed abode, remained on the roof for more than six hours on 19 July while the station's power was turned off. | Mantas Badauskas, 26, of no fixed abode, remained on the roof for more than six hours on 19 July while the station's power was turned off. |
The judge at Ipswich Crown Court described his actions as "attention-seeking and utterly self-indulgent". | The judge at Ipswich Crown Court described his actions as "attention-seeking and utterly self-indulgent". |
He admitted causing obstruction without intent at an earlier hearing. | He admitted causing obstruction without intent at an earlier hearing. |
The prosecution told the court that Badauskas had earlier asked a police officer how he could get to Stansted Airport, but then climbed onto the canopy roof of Platform 1 at 08:30 BST. | |
Train operators said the power had to be turned off because the structure was not designed to support a man's weight and there was a threat to the electric cables below. | |
40,000 journeys | |
The fire service put a ladder up to him about half an hour after he ascended the building, but Badauskas pulled it up onto the roof. | |
The prosecution said police negotiators did not persuade him to come down until 15:09, after which he was taken to Ipswich Hospital to be treated for dehydration. | |
The court heard that 76 trains services were cancelled which affected 40,000 passengers and cost an estimated £1m. | |
Three trains were stuck on the tracks without power, which meant no air-conditioning or refreshments for passengers on what was a hot day. | |
In mitigation, Badauskas's defence said he had arrived in the UK that week and had been expecting to start factory work straight away. | |
But he lost touch with the friend who had met him at Stansted and subsequently lost his possessions and had little or no money. | |
'Massive disruption' | |
He wanted to get back to Lithuania, where he had a wife and child, and climbed onto the roof to because he "wanted better visibility", it was claimed. | |
Sentencing him, Judge John Devaux said: "Whatever you were hoping to achieve, it was wholly disproportionate to your predicament. | |
"It caused massive disruption to the public and cost organisations and individuals a massive amount of money. | |
"It was attention-seeking and self-indulgent." |
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