Man jailed for trying to kill toddler by stepping in front of train in Glasgow

A suicidal man who attempted to murder a two-year-old boy by walking in front of a train while carrying the toddler on his shoulders has been jailed for 10 years.

Both Frederick Danquah, 28, and the child were injured in the incident at Garrowhill railway station in Glasgow on 2 July 2023.

British Transport Police (BTP) said Danquah sustained a broken jaw and fracture to his neck, while the youngster suffered cuts and bruises but no serious injuries and was discharged from hospital two days later.

The force said the child, who is known to Danquah, is currently "doing well".

Danquah denied attempted murder and a separate charge of culpable and reckless conduct, regarding another incident on the same date, stating his mental condition as a defence, but he was convicted by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow last month.

Judge Tony Kelly sentenced him to a decade behind bars on Wednesday.

During the trial, jurors heard how Danquah, after posting a suicidal message on Facebook, prepared a "contingency plan" including a note with contact details.

He collected the boy from an address and attempted to climb a bridge over the M8.

He was spotted by police but "reassured them", the court heard, before he travelled to Garrowhill station with the child and made an attempt on their lives.

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Danquah, who had no previous convictions and was involved in a Ghanian community group, was said to have made further attempts on his life, including in December 2023.

Defending, Gary Allan said it was a "horrible miracle" and Danquah was receiving psychiatric help since a "one-off horror story took place at his own hand".

Mr Allan added: "The verdict of the jury was that the mental condition of the accused was not such that the statutory defence was made out. What the jury didn't do was say that he wasn't suffering from some kind of depressive condition."

Mr Allan said his client had been "beaten up by other prisoners", and jail "will be living nightmare for him".

BTP welcomed the conclusion of the court case.

DCI Marc Francey said: "Danquah's actions that day were incomprehensible.

"He deliberately put a young child's life in extreme danger and it is only through sheer luck that he wasn't seriously injured or killed. We could have easily been looking at a very different investigation."

He added: "Incidents like this are rare but nevertheless we will always hold offenders to account, and Danquah will now be spending the foreseeable future behind bars where he'll have plenty of time to consider his abhorrent actions."

We understand that references to suicide in any context can be difficult for some people. We provide details of support available from the Samaritans where any such references are included. You can find these here: call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

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