March 17, 2010 17:46

Man thrown off train for writing Killers song titles on list

25-year-old 'couldn't understand' why he was forced to leave train

Photo Gallery: The Killers

A 25-year-old man was asked to leave a train after staff became concerned when he wrote song titles by bands including The Killers on a piece of paper.

Tom Shaw was thinking of possible tracks for his band, The Magic Mushrooms, to play at a forthcoming gig when he was asked to leave the South West Trains service at Fareham railway station recently.

Among the tracks he had written down were The Killers' 'All These Things That I've Done', although he had simply written "killers" rather than the band's full name. Another track written down was 'Take Me Out' by Franz Ferdinand.

Shaw said that two members of staff approached him and told him he had been behaving suspiciously, reports the Independent. They then asked him to explain the list he had been writing. A South West Trains spokeswoman confirmed that Shaw was asked to leave the train. She said this was because it was busy and that officers wished to speak to him.

"We employ a team of highly professional rail community officers who work closely with the British Transport Police in protecting the security of passengers on the rail network," she explained.

"During a routine high-visibility patrol back in early March, they talked with a passenger on the platform at Fareham station. The team clarified the nature of the individual's business, were satisfied with his explanation and the man went on his way."

The spokesperson then thanked Shaw "for his co-operation and understanding of the need to be vigilant in the current environment."