Man running from police was electrocuted and run over by London Underground train looking for him

A man who ran from police at a London Underground station was fatally electrocuted when power was turned on to power a search train which then ran him over.

An inquest into the death of Robert English (32), who died in the early hours of May 19 last year, has resulted in the senior coroner for Northern London, Andrew Walker, writing to the Department of Transport (DfT), Transport for London (TfL) and Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB).

The inquest heard that English had ran onto the platform at Colindale station (on the Northern Line) trying to evade two officers who thought he was “unwell and sought to contain him rather than restrain him”.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, Walker wrote that the 32-year-old “left the platform and made his way into the night”.

“The local station manager asked for the power supply to the track to be turned off,” Walker wrote.

Officers saw English climb part of a fence but couldn’t see if he made it over, but members of the public indicated he had and was in a park.

The station manager confirmed officers had reported he had left the tracks and left Colindale station themselves. This led to the decision to restore power.

However, this was incorrect and English was electrocuted as he walked down the line as the power returned.

Walker continued: “A train, that had been held stationary, began to search the track, then ran over Mr English who had passed some 400 to 600 meters from Colindale Station.  The train was not adequately equipped to conduct such a search in darkness and this response was inadequate.”

The coroner also said rule brook requirements when switching on power supply to the rails “were not followed, in particular telling all the relevant people”.

“This would have given the police an opportunity to confirm that Mr English had not been found and was likely still on the railway side of the tracks.

“It is likely that had this step been followed the power supply would not have been switched on and a proper search, which was also possible, is likely to have found Mr English and returned him safely to the station.”

Walker said he thought there was “a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken” and had concerns about the “provision to protect a trespasser at night are the same as those during the day” when visibility is substantially worse.

TfL’s 2024/25 health and safety report revealed that six members of the public died. It said they were “hit by a train after they had either fallen or walked onto the track”.

“This is a notable figure for this type of incident and we are reviewing our approach to safeguarding vulnerable or intoxicated customers. The remaining fatalities were customers who suffered fatal injuries as a result of falls,” the report said.

Responding to the inquest, Claire Mann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Our thoughts are with the friends and family of Robert English following his tragic death last year.

"We are committed to working with policing partners and reviewing our own operational practices to learn from this incident. We undertook a formal investigation of the incident and assisted the coroner during the inquest.

"We are thoroughly reviewing the coroner's prevention of future deaths report before responding in full and will consider any appropriate actions to make the transport network as safe as possible.”