Man ‘tried setting woman’s hair on fire’ while sitting behind her on train

A passenger was targeted on board a commuter train when a stranger tried to set her hair on fire.

Detectives are investigating a suspected assault incident on board a service from Formby to Liverpool Central.

The victim was travelling on a rush-hour Merseyrail service on Friday, November 7, when an unknown man began behaving strangely.

He had boarded the 5.50pm service at Waterloo station in Merseyside, a few stops after the train departed the seaside town.

When sitting behind the female victim, the man then tried to set light to her hair several times.

British Transport Police said: ‘While sat behind the victim, he attempted to set light to her hair, multiple times.

‘The passenger sat next to the victim noticed and alerted her. The man  disembarked at Bootle New Strand railway station.’

A 37-year-old man from Liverpool has been arrested on suspicion of common assault following the incident.

The force said: ‘Officers are appealing to the passenger who witnessed the incident to come forward.

‘He later spoke again to the victim and was believed to be travelling with a woman. Officers believe he may have information that could help their investigation.’

Merseyrail declined to comment on the incident, citing an ongoing police matter.

How safe are UK railways?

Hover on each line to see how many incidents were recorded on UK railways every year.

The number of assaults on the mainline UK railways reached a record high last year.

Numbers have been steadily increasing since 2014, with a sharp drop in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic when fewer journeys were made.

There were 10,231 assaults involving passengers or members of the public in the year up to March 2025.

It was a 7% increase compared to the previous year.

Harassment and common assault incidents saw a 9% and 7% increase respectively.

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