King's Cross tube murder inquiry after 'transvestite pushed under train by friend'

King's Cross tube murder inquiry after 'transvestite pushed under train by friend'
A man killed after being pushed under a tube train at King's Cross underground station during rush hour was a transvestite wearing a dress, police sources have confirmed.

By Andrew Hough
Published: 9:00PM BST 26 Oct 2010


It is believed the incident was witnesses by dozens of commuters. Murder Squad detectives are investigating whether the death of the middle aged man, who has not been named, was a joke gone wrong.

Witnesses had told The Daily Telegraph that a "woman" had been pushed onto the tracks accidentally during "play-fighting" with a 34-year-old woman, who was thought to be a friend.

The woman, from Cricklewood, north London, had to be restrained by a fellow passenger on the westbound platform of the Piccadilly Line until police arrived.

The "friend", who has not been identified, is currently being questioned by detectives on suspicion of murder after being arrested at the underground station, one of the capital's busiest.

The pair were precariously close to the edge of the platform, packed with London commuters, in the seconds before the fatal incident just after 6.30pm on Monday night. It is believed the incident was witnesses by dozens of commuters.

One witness, who only gave her name as Emma, told this newspaper that she saw the pair “pushing and pulling as a joke” on the platform

A station worker, who asked not to be named, said: "They were standing very close to the edge of the platform and it was jam-packed because it was the height of rush-hour.

"The whole platform was a crime scene, with a forensic tent and scene-of-crime officers. The body was left in place for hours, which caused serious delays."

Police confirmed the victim, who is thought to be aged around 50, and the suspect appear to have known each other. They are continuing to work to identify the dead man and trace his next of kin.

Police sources later confirmed he was wearing women's clothes. Such was the nature of his injuries that officers could not immediately confirm his gender.

Asked whether the possibility that the death was an accident was a line of inquiry, a British Transport Police spokesman said: "Early indications from witnesses are that the victim and suspect knew each other, and that is one of the lines of inquiry.

"It is still being treated as a murder inquiry, but that is one of the lines of inquiry that is being investigated."

The death caused chaos to London's transport system. The line services both London's Heathrow airport and the Eurostar international train service.

In the aftermath of Monday's death social network sites were flooded with angry commuters complaining about their nightmare routes home from work – with most oblivious to the fact that the victim had been pushed under the train.

The train immediately behind the one involved in the fatal collision had to be emptied of almost 200 passengers, who were forced to walk through the tunnels to Caledonian Road station.

One elderly passenger claimed that when she eventually made it to Caledonian Road station through the tunnels on Monday night, there were no police or paramedics on hand.

Retired nurse Ande Warner, 78, from Enfield, said: "We spent an hour being guided back along the tracks from the stuck train by staff.

"When we got to Caledonian Road there was nobody to help. I was with a diabetic woman about to go into a coma.

"It was horrendous and frightening. We only found out later that somebody had died."

British Transport Police Detective Superintendent Ashley Croft, the senior investigating officer, said: "Early indications from witnesses are that the victim and the suspect knew each other.

"Following the incident a man on the platform detained the woman by restraining her until police arrived. The woman remains in custody and is being held on suspicion of murder.

"We are also in the process of viewing CCTV from the station and interviewing several witnesses who came forward last night.

"It's really important that we build the clearest possible picture of what took place on the platform and I ask anyone who may have seen the incident to contact us."

Det Supt Croft added: "I would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding, as well as all of the London Underground staff who assisted the emergency services in dealing with what happened in a professional and dignified manner.

"Incidents like this are extremely rare on the Tube."

A Transport for London spokeswoman said: "At 6.37pm the Piccadilly line was suspended between Hyde Park and Arnos Grove in both directions following an incident at Kings Cross station.

"A man went under a train on the westbound Piccadilly line platform at the station. British Transport Police declared this a scene of crime and the area was closed for investigations.

"Due to this investigation a following train was stopped in the tunnel and the 172 passengers taken off and walked back to Caledonian Rd station safely."

Anyone with information should call BTP on 0800 40 50 40 and quote incident number 440.