'Rail staff refused to help stabbed man'

Three London rail staff refused to help a fatally wounded man because he had been stabbed away from railway property, the Old Bailey has heard.

The staff members refused to fetch a first-aid box or bandages as the dying man shouted " Somebody help me," the jury was told.

Passengers battling to save law student Sajid Chisti, 33, who had staggered into Ilford station and collapsed, were told by the staff that rail managers had instructed them not to get involved.

Stewart Jones QC, prosecuting, condemned them for acting with " contemptible indifference, standing by and doing nothing".

In a statement, passenger Hassan Adani told the court that rail staff had said first-aid equipment was "only to be used for staff or injured passengers". Mr Chisti was stabbed by a teenage mugger in a gang of up to 30 in May last year, the court has heard.

Trevor "Tiny" Hodges, who is now aged 18, has pleaded not guilty to murder, violent disorder and two counts of theft but has admitted robbing Mr Chisti. Codefendant Tunde Akinselure, 18, who is not accused of murder, has denied violent disorder and one charge of theft. He has admitted a further charge of theft and was acquitted of robbery.

The case continues.