Musician's gig list deemed suspicious by South West Trains staff
Musician Tom Shaw was stunned when he was kicked off a train - for writing a list of songs.
The 25-year-old was targeted by South West Trains staff when they saw him writing the list which included the name of the band The Killers.
They said this was suspicious and ordered him to get off the train.
Tom, of Buckland, said: 'I got on at Fratton and there were two people who looked like they were in luminous Transport Police jackets.
'I sat down and they were looking over my shoulder.
'After a couple of minutes they told me I'd have to get off the train. When I asked why, they said they'd speak to me more on the platform.'
Mr Shaw, who works with young people with learning disabilities in Sholing, is also bassist for group The Magic Mushrooms.
He said: 'They made me get out at Fareham and when I asked what was wrong they told me to show them the piece of paper I'd been writing on.
'They said I'd been behaving suspiciously. I couldn't understand it. It seemed very strange, as it was just a list of songs.
'We had a gig coming up, so I was writing out what we could play. They made me explain song by song.'
Even more strangely, Mr Shaw's list at that point contained just three songs.
He said: 'I was writing some covers we could play. I had written Cigarettes and Alcohol and Shut Up And Let Me Go. I explained they were by Oasis and Ting Tings. But we also play a track called All These Things I Have Done by The Killers, and to save time I just wrote Killers. They did ask me about that, so maybe it's the reason, but it seems very strange.'
Mr Shaw added he was told by the officers, who were employed as security staff by South West Trains, that the reason he'd been removed from the train was because there had been a 'number of arrests' nearby including one man who had killed his wife.
A spokesperson for South West Trains said she was unable to comment on wider 'arrests' but said: 'We employ highly-professional rail community officers who work closely with the British Transport Police in protecting the security of passengers on the rail network.
'During a routine high-visibility patrol, they spoke with a passenger on the platform at Fareham station.
'The team clarified the nature of the individual's business, were satisfied with his explanation and the man went on his way.
'We would like to thank him for his co-operation and understanding of the need to be vigilant in the current environment.'
>> Vote in our latest web poll.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
