Complaint over man who threw 'fare-dodger' off train

A complaint has been made to police against a passenger who threw a "fare-dodger" off a train after he refused the conductor's request to leave.

Alan Pollock's action against Sam Main on the Edinburgh to Perth train on Friday was filmed by another passenger.

British Transport Police would not confirm who had made the complaint.

Mr Main, a 19-year-old student from Falkirk, claimed he had mistakenly bought the wrong ticket and was hoping to explain it to the conductor.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Call Kaye programme: "I was given no time to explain myself. It wasn't even an argument.

"There was a discussion with me trying to explain myself for about a minute and then the conductor started shouting at me," he said.

"I never seen his face, I never seen a man. He never approached me. He never said 'right son get off the train'.

"He grabbed me from behind, threw me to the ground on the train. Then picked me up off the ground on the train. Then threw me to the ground on the platform."

Mr Main told BBC Scotland he had tried to get back on the train to get his bag - which contained his phone, exam notes and headphones - but was prevented from doing so by Mr Pollock.

He also said he was diabetic, had not eaten much all day and had not slept the night before because he had been studying.

"[This] had perhaps quite an adverse effect on my mood and my mannerisms at that time, but still I don't condone the way I spoke to the conductor," he said.

The student admitted he had been drinking before the incident, but said he was not drunk.

The footage, filmed by passenger Ian Hems, was uploaded to YouTube and has been watched more than one million times by people around the world.

It shows a youth refusing to pay for his ticket or get off the train.

A man, dubbed the Big Man by some who have watched the video, gets up, grabs the youth and appears to throw him on to the platform at Linlithgow, West Lothian.

The man then twice stops the teenager getting back on the train before returning to his seat to a round of applause from passengers.

But one woman is heard to say: "There's no need for that."

Mr Hems told BBC Breakfast there was a five-minute argument between the conductor and the teenager refusing to pay.

He said there was "lots of swearing".

Mr Hems said: "I was actually going to get this guy his ticket but he was that impolite I was just like 'no, I'm going to film you'."

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: "A complaint has been received and inquiries are ongoing into the incident."