AN IRATE rail passenger who had been removed from a London bound train for not having a valid ticket verbally abused security staff at Carlisle railway station and then spat at them.

Maria Liverani, 27, denied two assaults – but she missed her train because she was taken off the train to Carlisle from London for having no ticket.

At Carlisle’s Rickergate court, prosecutor George Shelley outlined the allegations as the trial began in the absence of the defendant, who was left stranded in Coventry after being removed from the train to Carlisle.

Mr Shelley said the defendant was on the Glasgow to London train on November 3 when staff in Carlisle were notified that she was being taken off the train because she had no ticket or means to pay for one.

Security staff at Carlisle’s Citadel station then became involved, and spoke to the woman, attempting to find out why she had no ticket. The court heard that Liverani became agitated -and then spat at two of the workers dealing with her.

Giving evidence, security officer  Simon Pickersgill said that staff were alerted to the issue with the defendant shortly after 7pm. The train manager was refusing to allow the defendant to stay on the train.

Describing how she behaved as he and colleagues spoke to her, Mr Pickersgill said: “Within a couple of minutes, she started becoming verbally abusive and aggressive towards us.”

She was then told that because of her conduct, she would be escorted from the station, said the witness. As this was happening, she continued to be verbally aggressive, said Mr Pickersgill.

It was as and two colleagues were ushering the woman out of the station that she suddenly ran back towards them, tilted back her head and spat.

The spittle that came out of her mouth landed on the arm on a female colleague and on the forehead of a male colleague.

The station’s safeguarding officer Castherine Buchanan was among the group of three staff who were there when his happened. She recalled how the staff had tried to make the defendant calm down.

As she shouted at them, the woman was waving a pink folder. “She just kept shouting verbal abuse,” said the witness. When the woman ran towards her, she feared she would be assaulted. The defendant's spittle landed on the sleeve of her jacket.

Magistrates delivered a guilty verdict for assault by beating allegations, saying that the defendant, of Richmond Way, Hammersmith, London, will be sentenced at a later date.

They issued an arrest warrant for her in the meantime.