A woman’s morning commute turned terrifying when a man behind her repeatedly tried to set her hair on fire aboard a crowded train traveling from Formby to Liverpool.
The chilling attack unfolded as the train was in motion. A quick-thinking passenger sitting next to the victim noticed the repeated attempts and immediately alerted her to the danger.
Before authorities could intervene, the suspect abruptly left the train at Bootle New Strand railway station, disappearing into the crowd. A 37-year-old man from Liverpool was later arrested on suspicion of common assault.
Police are urgently seeking a key witness – the passenger who first noticed the attack and warned the victim. Investigators believe this individual, who spoke with the victim again and was seen with another woman, possesses crucial information.
This disturbing incident occurs against a backdrop of rising violence on UK railways. Assaults have been steadily increasing since 2014, reaching a record high last year.
Recent data reveals a significant surge in onboard attacks. In the year leading up to March 2025, a staggering 10,231 assaults involving passengers or members of the public were reported across the mainline UK railway network.
The increase isn’t limited to physical assaults. Incidents of harassment jumped by 9%, while common assault cases rose by 7% during the same period, painting a worrying picture of escalating tensions on public transport.
While numbers dipped briefly following the Covid-19 pandemic due to reduced travel, the trend has sharply reversed, highlighting a growing concern for passenger safety.
