South West Trains (SWT) have asked Geoff Holt, the quadriplegic sailor who alleged mistreatment by an Island Line Train guard, to contribute some of his time to advising how the train line can best support customers with disabilities.
He has decided to drop his pursuit of legal action, saying “despite having CCTV evidence and written letters from witnesses supporting my case, I have asked the British Transport Police to drop the charge.” as he feels he can, “achieve far more by working with SWT than pursuing a legal agenda.”
Accepts “Genuine misunderstanding”
Commenting about the Guard, Geoff said, “I am prepared to accept that there was a genuine misunderstanding on his behalf between what constitutes a mobility scooter and a wheelchair which highlights a SWT training issue”, continuing, “His behaviour subsequently was his own doing and SWT have assured me that they have their own robust investigation and disciplinary systems.”
Following his meeting with senior staff at SWT yesterday Geoff said, “I should remind everyone that my reason of raising this was never for personal gain, nor was it to be vengeful, it was to raise awareness of an appalling incident so that lessons could be learned so it would never happen again”, on his Website.
The contents of the original post outlining the incident and naming Island Line workers has now been replaced with a copy of the updated statement.
Image: Geoff Holt
