Defendants from across the North East have been convicted of crimes committed on the Metro.
In recent months, people have been before the courts for offences including attempted sexual assault, GBH and possessing a knife. The sentences which they have been handed have ranged from seven years and three months in prison to a £200 fine.
In one of the most shocking cases, a man followed a teenage girl off the Metro and tried to rape her.
Read more: Criminals sentenced for using knives to cause devastation to people's lives in North East
Here are some of the defendants who have committed offences while using the Metro on Tyneside.
Steven Nixon
The violent sex attacker tried to rape a vulnerable 16-year-old girl in a park after she got off a Metro.
The 38-year-old got off the train at the same stop as the teenager and engaged her in conversation, before making sexual comments. The victim decided to walk through a park to try to get away from him but he pounced on her.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Nixon pushed her to the ground and ripped her dress and underwear as he tried to rape her. The victim screamed for help and managed to fight him off.
The court in Newcastle heard how the girl had been out with her parents and left them to go meet some friends. She arrived at South Shields Metro Station a minute after Nixon and they both got on the same train.
Vince Ward, prosecuting, told the court: "CCTV from inside the train shows the defendant looking in the direction of her. As the train approached Jarrow he stood up and moved near to her, separated by a Perspex screen.
"They both got off at Jarrow, the defendant got off first, followed by (the girl). CCTV from the Metro station shows the defendant waiting for her and engaging her in conversation after she removed her shoes, before they crossed the road and went out of camera view."
The court heard how, as they were walking along, Nixon asked her if she minded him seeing her breasts. Feeling awkward, the girl decided to go through the park, which she knew well and thought she could use that knowledge to get away from him.
Mr Ward said: "The defendant said he went with her on what the prosecution say is obviously a false premise that he was concerned for her safety. He then grabbed her, kissed her on the face and neck and groped her bottom and breasts.
"He pushed her down on the grass, straddled her and tore her dress at the front. He then reached under her dress and tore the left hand side of her underwear, leaving it hanging. She screamed for help and fought him off by kicking him in the leg and knocking his glasses off and that allowed her to escape."
The girl's screams were heard by local resident, Vanessa Kennedy, who was standing outside smoking a cigarette. The woman bravely went into the park, shouting "where are you" and "come to me".
Mr Ward said: "She heard further cries and shouts for help before she saw (the victim) running towards her, sobbing. She was on the phone to the police when she came into sight of the witness and she could see the front of her dress was torn and her hair dishevelled. She showed her her underwear was also torn."
Another woman also heard the shouting and went to help, taking over the 999 call while a man who arrived on the scene was sent to get the girl's parents, who found their daughter in a "hysterical" state.
Mr Ward said: "The prosecution say this was specific targeting of a vulnerable young victim. That's from the defendant's own mouth."
CCTV picked up Nixon walking back to Jarrow Metro Station, now without his glasses. He eventually got a taxi but while waiting he called police, accusing the victim of attacking him.
In a victim impact statement, the girl said the attack that it led to her self-harming and over-showering "because I can't rid myself of him kissing and touching me". She said: "I can still feel him on my skin and I feel like I've been robbed of my dignity and self-respect.
"Before this I was quite confident going out and about, meeting friends and riding the Metro. However since this I'm constantly looking over my shoulder and I can't even think about going anywhere near Jarrow park. The thought of going anywhere near this park now fills me with fear and anxiety and I can't even walk the streets around it.
"I've not been able to return to South Shields Metro Station since this which leaves me feeling angry and frustrated my normal life has been impacted so much."
Nixon, of Tweed Street, Hebburn, South Tyneside, pleaded guilty to attempted rape. The court heard how he had no previous convictions.
Robin Turton, defending, said: "He doesn't have a history of violence, he has shown remorse and he appreciates what he has done is wrong. He has been the victim of a traumatic childhood and he is lonely and isolated and struggles to make friends."
Earlier this month, Judge Stephen Earl jailed Nixon for seven years and three months. He also ordered him to sign the sex offenders register for life and made him subject to a restraining order.
The judge said the victim suffered an "absolutely appalling and horrific ordeal". The told Nixon: "You pounced in a predatory manner on her." He commended Vanessa Kennedy for putting herself into a potentially dangerous situation to help the girl and also praised the other members of the public who came to her aid.
Leslie Worthington
The pensioner sexually assaulted a woman at a Metro station as she tried to help him buy a ticket.
The 73-year-old left the victim deeply traumatised by suddenly pulling her towards him and kissing her on the lips. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the incident occurred at a Metro station in Gateshead last November.
Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, said: "He was directly in front of her, standing face to face and he forcefully grabbed her. He took hold of the collar of her jacket in both hands, pulled her towards him and forcibly kissed her on the lips.
Mr Wardlaw added: "This was a busy public place, a Metro station, where anybody would be entitled to feel safe."
The victim, who said she was "completely horrified and disgusted", pushed him back and told him not to do that to her. In a victim impact statement, she said: "I'm completely devastated this has happened to me. I was so shocked and horrified this man thought he could forcibly do that to me without my consent, especially in the middle of a pandemic. I still can't believe it happened.
"Since this incident my life has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. I was on the sick for a long and sustained period of time. I was depressed and stressed, which also led to problems in my relationship. I've separated from my partner and was forced to leave my home. I feel this is all as a direct result of the stress and trauma since I was assaulted."
Worthington, of Northam Avenue North, South Shields, South Tyneside, pleaded guilty to sexual assault.
Gavin Doig, defending, said: "I don't want to minimise the offence but fortunately it was a brief offence and in terms of sexual offending this kiss on the lips falls to the bottom end of seriousness but every victim is different and will be affected in different ways. All the women in Northumbria will be protected better by his thinking deficits being addressed than him being taken off the streets for a few weeks with no protection in place."
The court heard how he had ten previous convictions. These include a battery in 2014 when he sang to a woman on the bus with her daughter, told her she was beautiful and kissed her on the cheek near her mouth then began serenading her again.
In June this year, while on bail for the Metro station assault, he made "inappropriate remarks of a sexual nature" to a 16-year-old girl walking with her friends. When they said they thought he was "noncey", he punched the girl in the mouth, causing a cut inside of it.
Recorder James Wood KC told him: "She went to help you. You forcibly took hold of her by the lapels and pulled her upwards and directly towards you and kissed her firmly on the lips before letting go of her.
"She was utterly outraged and that behaviour was utterly disgusting and totally disgraceful. It's had an appalling impact on her and you are no stranger to behaving like this."
Earlier this month, Worthington was sentenced to three months in prison suspended for 18 months with rehabilitation. He must also sign the sex offenders register for seven years and pay £400 compensation.
James Rutherford
The 21-year-old was part of a group of three who left a Metro passenger with facial fractures following a row over covid masks.
The victim was travelling from Newcastle Central Station when three men got on at Pelaw on the afternoon of Sunday May 2 last year. None were wearing masks, despite passengers being encouraged to do so and Rutherford was swigging from a can of beer.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how the victim politely asked if the trio were exempt from wearing masks. Rutherford claimed one of them had COPD and said Covid was not real and the victim said he wore a mask despite having asthma.
The court in Newcastle heard how the victim was then subjected to violence on the train in Jarrow. Other passengers intervened in the incident, which went on for around 15 minutes.
Rutherford, of Eglesfield Road, South Shields, South Tyneside, pleaded guilty to affray and a separate charge of having a bladed article in a pub in Sunderland. The court heard how he has a previous conviction for assault and was on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol at the time of the latest offending.
Recorder Andrew Latimer sentenced Rutherford to 15 months behind bars in September this year. He told the defendant: "A verbal dispute arose about wearing masks and you tried to take his mas off him and told him you would smash his face.
"The three of you descended on him and you admit slapping him and others hit him. He was left with three fractures to his cheek and eye socket and had six weeks off work. You can imagine how painful that would have been for him.
"The victim personal statement makes clear the continuing impact it's had on him. You played your part in that affray even if you didn't land the blows that caused the worst of the injuries."
David Johnson
Johnson left a man in such fear for his life he leapt onto Metro tracks to try to escape - but even there the violence continued.
Victim Stephen Prince had been on a night out drinking in Whitley Bay. He encountered the 34-year-old defendant and what began as a friendly exchange suddenly turned violent over a grievance.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how the victim was left fearing for his life during the sustained attack. As he sought to jump onto the train tracks in desperation, Johnson pushed him causing him to land awkwardly and suffer further serious injuries.
The court in Newcastle heard how Mr Prince had known Johnson for 15 years and believed they were on good terms. He said that when they spoke everything seemed fine initially and he went to shake his hand.
Robin Turton, prosecuting, told the court: "Suddenly his behaviour changed and he punched him powerfully to the face, knocking him backwards before striking him again to the head and grabbing his throat and trying to punch him to the head.
"The blows were unexpected. He was looking at his hand when he was suddenly punched. He had him against a wall, repeatedly punching him. Mr Prince feared for his life. He thought the only thing he could do was jump off the platform to try to get away. The defendant pushed him as he tried to jump, causing him to fall awkwardly.
"The defendant then jumped down and there were a series of powerful blows as he lay on the ground, six to eight punches. His head banged against stones under the railway track and against the track itself. He kicked him forcefully to the body, such that he overbalanced and fell over.
"The victim crawled to the other side of the tracks, where he collapsed on the platform. The defendant ran across the tracks before assaulting him one final time."
The victim was left with his left eye completely shut, had lacerations to his arm and scalp, a fracture to his nose, a fractured heel and a fractured ankle. In a victim impact statement, he said: "I've always seen David as a good friend and I'm totally shocked by what happened. I was in constant pain and had to move out of my house to be cared for elsewhere.
"I thought I was going to die and took the option to go on the Metro line because I thought he was going to kill me. If my friend had not been there I would be dead. I will have arthritis for the rest of my life and find it difficult walking on uneven ground."
Johnson, of Trevelyan Close, Shiremoor, North Tyneside, pleaded guilty to GBH. The court heard how he received a caution for GBH back in 2010.
Shaun Routledge, defending, said there was a grievance behind the attack but it was not aired in court. He added: "His behaviour was appalling but the first thing he did was call 999 and he waited for the police to arrest him. He is appalled by the footage."
In June this year, Johnson was jailed for 20 months and given a restraining order.
Aaron Fletcher
The drunk lout snapped barriers at a Metro station and ran across the tracks in order to get to the opposite platform.
The 24-year-old "put lives at risk" when he trespassed on the railway shortly before losing his temper and breaking the barriers at Manors station, in Newcastle. He flew into a rage because he claimed the ticket machines weren't working and took his frustration out by trying to damage a number of items.
Newcastle Magistrates' Court heard how the bungling yob was unsuccessful until he targeted the barriers - in full view of a watching police officer.
Emma O'Hegarty, prosecuting, said an officer attended Manors Metro Station for an unrelated incident on February 27. She continued: "While at the scene, the officer entered the ticket area and could see a male, this defendant, at the ticket barrier, pushing with both hands, which caused it to snap.
"The officer spoke to staff at the station and they said the defendant had attempted to damage other items at the station and had trespassed on the track by going from one platform to another."
Fletcher, of Bexley Gardens, Wallsend, North Tyneside, pleaded guilty to trespassing on a railing and criminal damage.
He also admitted a separate drunk and disorderly offence. It involved him shouting and swearing in front of children in a waiting room at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, Northumberland, a few months earlier.
The court was told that Fletcher had been discharged from NSEC on December 16 last year but had turned loud and aggressive. Mrs O'Hegarty added: "He continued to shout and swear in the waiting room and he said the word "c***" in front of a chid." After numerous warnings, Fletcher was arrested for his behaviour.
Magistrates were told that Fletcher suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression and anxiety and had a problem with alcohol, which he was trying to address. Karen Minhas, defending, added: "The damage was committed out of frustration at the time. The ticket machine was not working but Mr Fletcher accepts he shouldn't have reacted like he did.
"He realised he was on the wrong platform and made the stupid decision to cross the tracks. He accepts that was the wrong thing to do and he could have been in serious trouble if a Metro had come at the time."
In May this year, Fletcher was fined a total of £200 and ordered to pay £200 compensation.
Jamie Graham
The convicted robber was caught with a blade near a Metro station.
The 25-year-old was searched by police after Nexus staff at Northumberland Park, in West Allotment, reported seeing a man with a knife. North Tyneside Magistrates' Court heard how Graham was found to have a blade from a Stanley knife in his trouser pocket.
Claire Irving, prosecuting, said police were alerted to a man possibly having a knife at Northumberland Park Metro Station, on Algernon Drive, on Monday, April 25, this year. Ms Irving added: "The defendant is seen and he matches the description the police have so he's stopped.
"He's searched. When told he was going to be searched he said "They always say I pull a knife out on them. They hate me. I just have a dog lead". A Stanley blade is then found in his righthand trouser pocket. He has a similar offence from 2015."
The court in North Shields heard that Graham served a "substantial" prison sentence in 2016 after being convicted of robbery.
David Forrester, defending, said: "The weapon offence from 2015 related to a set of keys. I think the suggestion was they were used as some sort of weapon in an affray. Despite his record, he's quite a high-functioning young man. He's in receipt of PIP because his doctor diagnosed him with Autism or Asperger's."
Graham, of Marshall Wallis Road, in South Shields, pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article. The crook, who was on licence from prison at the time, has now been put back behind bars after clocking up his second conviction for having a weapon in seven years.
District Judge Kate Meek sentenced Graham for 24 weeks in prison in April this year.
She told him: "The blade was in your pocket and it would normally be used with a handle but it doesn't make it any less serious. In fact, it could be more dangerous. You were on licence at the time the offence was committed and some of your previous convictions involve violence."
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