Hero passengers and driver praised for tackling machete-wielding man on train

The passengers were on a Virgin Train service travelling from Newcastle to Darlington at 11.20pm on April 6 this year when the terrifying incident unfolded.

The machete-wielding man was Aleksander Maksym, who has now been jailed for 12 months.

Maksym, 25, of Grange Road, Ipswich, was sitting in coach E when he got up from his seat and began to threaten a group of passengers who were sat nearby.

He targeted the man within the group and began to physically attack him.

Two fellow passengers, a man and a woman, jumped into action and grabbed Maksym, pulling him off the man and restraining him.

When he continued to be aggressive and fought to get back to the man he’d attacked, the passengers, who had now been joined by two others, formed a human barrier across the carriage to stop him.

Maksymthen grabbed his rucksack and pulled out a 10in machete whilst shouting: "I’m gonna slice them up."

Two of the passengers bravely managed to distract him, while one grabbed his arm and restrained him, allowing the other to grab the machete.

The train stopped at Darlington and the police were called.

Aware of the commotion and Maksym’s continued shouting and aggressive behaviour, the train driver came into the carriage and assisted in physically restraining him until officers arrived and arrested him.

Maksym, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on September 7 to 12 months' imprisonment and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £140.

Inspector Richard Price of British Transport Police said: “The passengers and train driver showed unbelievable bravery in what must have been a petrifying and frightening incident.

"I would like to thank and commend them for their amazing quick-thinking actions and fantastic team work which ensured the safety of everyone on the train.

“The service was really busy, with a number of large groups of youths returning from a music concert, a number of which understandably fled the carriage in fear when the incident unfolded.

“The whole incident must have been an extremely terrifying experience for everyone involved and everyone who witnessed it, and I am glad Maksym is now behind bars, where he belongs.”