Couple who closed station lose legal battle...as they couldn't get train to court
Elizabeth Howe and Ian Appleby were accused of bringing Altnabreac Station, Caithness, to a halt by refusing to allow workmen to access the site.
Now in a series of YouTube videos about the ongoing feud over access to and land ownership with the railway operators they claim one of the reasons for their no show was because there were unable to get the train.
The couple, who live on the station platform, are still facing a criminal trial for culpable and reckless conduct, but they have hit out on their social media channel claiming the dismissal of their civil action was not on merit' but 'on the grounds we did not attend'.
Mr Appleby tells viewers: 'When they demanded that we attend the court hearing in person we did make it known that was very unreasonable considering we had transport issues. We can't use the train and we don't have transport at the moment, and we wouldn't have been able to attend hearings which were in Wick, which would have been a 50-mile round trip. It's just unreasonable.'
Ms Howe said she was convinced they 'were being punished for trying to tell the truth'.
She said: 'We wrote to Wick Sheriff Court to make our position clear and told them that we couldn't attend further hearings but we had no intention of abandoning the action. Our main objective was to ensure we were receiving a fair hearing.'
Mr Appleby recalled a previous hearing which they attended via Webex in which he disagreed with what had happened and said as a result 'there is no way we could consent to further hearings'.
The couple, who were blamed for closing the station in 2023 after allegedly preventing railway workers from gaining access to the platform to carry out basic maintenance, had their civil case dismissed by Wick Sheriff Court in May.
They are now due to stand trial in September on charges of culpable and reckless conduct after they allegedly crossed barriers onto the level crossing at the station and onto the rail track while trains were approaching.
Ms Howe, who formerly served as a police officer in Greater Manchester, and Mr Appleby have lived at the old station house at Altnabreac, where there have been access disputes, since 2021.
ScotRail resumed services to the station earlier this year.
Network Rail said it welcomed the outcome of the recent legal proceedings in which the case against it was dismissed, adding: 'We remain focused on delivering a safe and reliable railway for all our customers.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Denise Richards shows up at ex Aaron Phypers' HOUSE just days after taking out restraining order on him
Denise Richards made a shock visit to estranged husband Aaron Phypers' LA home on Sunday - days after taking out a temporary restraining order on him. The 54-year-old actress, whose split from Phypers, 52, was revealed last month, was granted the TRO on July 16, after accusing Phypers of years of physical and emotional abuse - which he has denied. The court ordered Phypers to stay 100 yards away from Richards and her homes, workplaces and cars - but Richards was seen arriving at Phypers' Calabasas home 'to pick up a dog' before she was confronted by police in photos obtained by TMZ. Sources told the publication Richards arrived 'unannounced' at the home and 'started banging on a back door, demanding to be let inside.' Phypers saw this and immediately left due to concern over the restraining order. Phypers' parents let Richards inside and it was claimed she 'barged in, demanded the dog' and 'screamed at his parents that they needed to get out of the house, putting her finger in their faces.' The publication claims she allegedly began 'swinging' at Phypers' brother Brett and 'throwing mail at him.' Brett was later pictured standing by Richards' parked Corvette as they waited for police. Richards was seen being questioned by three Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies outside the home, with police concluding 'there was no crime committed and no arrests were made.' A distraught Phypers was seen consoling his 'terrified and shaken up' mom after Richards' visit - which marks the latest explosive chapter in the pair's acrimonious divorce. In California, victims named as the 'protected person' in a restraining order will not get into trouble for contacting the person against whom the order was taken out. However, the person who is restrained by the order may use it as evidence to dismiss the order in future court proceedings. Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Denise Richards for comment and has yet to hear back. After Aaron filed divorce paperwork on July 7, Denise hit back a week later with a request for a temporary restraining order (which she was granted) that included a laundry list of domestic abuse allegations — all of which her husband has denied. Her estranged husband has since denied all allegations of abuse, while a source close to Phypers told the Daily Mail that her black eye was actually the result of a drunken fall. The two starred together on their family reality TV show Denise Richards & Her Wild Things with her daughters Sami, 21, Lola, 19, and Eloise, 13 He said he is waiting for an upcoming August court hearing in which a judge will decide if the order is lifted, and until then, he is banned from going near his estranged wife and their adopted daughter Eloise, 14, whom he says he adores and misses terribly. It comes days after Phypers alleged that she has been having a months-long affair with a former special forces soldier named Rudy Reyes. He claimed in a detailed letter to 'family and close friends' that Reyes has showered her with X-rated photos and videos, including a graphic clip that shows him naked and pleasuring himself. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, the Wild Things actress' outraged husband claimed he caught wind of his wife's alleged affair in April. He said she had promised to break it off, only for him to catch her lying about another hook-up with 53-year-old Rudy that took place at a Hilton Garden Inn in Burbank, California, the following month. He claimed his discovery of the May tryst then led to an explosive argument over the July 4th holiday weekend, during which she smashed his phone. Phypers was the founder of the Malibu wellness center, Q360 Club (also known as Quantum 360), until he chose to shut it down last year, on October 1, 2024. According to his petition for divorce, filed on July 7, he has not made any income since. Richards, allegedly makes $250,000 per month from being on OnlyFans, TV shows, having brand deals and doing appearances, he noted in the income and expense declaration obtained by the Daily Mail. He's requesting spousal support since he alleges his monthly expenses total $105,000, and is demanding he and Richards split 50 percent of their production company, Smoke & Mirrors Entertainment.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Children's nurse admits supplying cocaine and ecstasy in Glasgow
A children's nurse is facing jail after she admitted supplying cocaine and Farooq, 34, was arrested after police followed her to a car park in the Finnieston area of Glasgow on 30 December went on to seize hauls of cocaine, ecstasy and cash worth £200,000 from a nearby flat she had the keys the High Court in Glasgow the judge described her crimes as "quite extensive drug trafficking" and deferred sentencing for reports. Lord Mulholland added: "You shamed yourself and your profession."It is a tragedy for you and for those affected by your drug dealing. "This will inevitably result in a prison sentence, quite an extensive one."Farooq, who was a nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, has since resigned. The court heard she was arrested over the festive season in 2023 after officers saw her briefly entering and leaving a car before returning to her own Mark Mohammed KC said: "Police suspected they had observed a drugs transaction."Farooq was followed to a secure car park at flats in the city's Lancefield Quay, where she was initially seized almost £12,000 inside a small carrier bag in the then looked through the letterbox of the flat and spotted an open bag, which appeared to contain and ecstasy were recovered from the property along with a quantity of cash and drug dealing included a consignment of cocaine that had a purity of up to 77 per cent, thousands of ecstasy pills and the drug in crystal also seized a substance used to bulk out narcotics to maximise profits for dealers, along with a number of sets of scales and part of a kitchen blender.A further £26,000 of cash in mixed notes was recovered. Farooq, of Glasgow's Yorkhill, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and had been accused of being involved in the supply of other drugs - including ketamine, cannabis and bromazolam - but prosecutors accepted her not guilty pleas to those was remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Five charged after police attacked with stones and eggs in Fife
Five people have been charged after police were hit by eggs and stones during a mob gathering on a street in Levenmouth in were called after the group of up to 100 people targeted a house on Pirnie Street, Methilhill, at about 16:40 on posted on social media showed crowds chanting and beeping car horns while police stood guard outside the men aged 22, 38 and 47 were arrested and charged over the disorder. A 36-year-old woman and 15-year-old girl were also charged with vandalising property. Police Scotland said officers were joined by specially trained public order officers after the crowd became media footage showed police tackling members of the group and telling them to stay back from the house. Ch Supt Derek McEwan said: "Violence towards officers while carrying out their duties will not be tolerated."Police officers are also members of the community and it is fortunate someone was not seriously injured."We understand there are strong feelings in the local area but that is no excuse for violence or disorder. We are particularly concerned with the number of children present."He said officers would continue to review footage of the event to identify those five people charged were released to appear in court at a leter date.
