Five teenagers have been sentenced for violent disorder after they assaulted members of the public who tried to stop one of them walking on train tracks.
On May 18, 2019, one of the five youths attempted to walk across the tracks at Neath Railway Station.
When a 50-year-old woman tried to stop them they, along with four others, assaulted her and her husband.
The couple sustained serious injuries in the attack, in which other members of the public received minor injuries when trying to intervene.
This is what happens after a crime is reported:
All five defendants, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty and were each given a nine-month youth referral notice and ordered to pay more than £600 in compensation, victim surcharges and court costs.
Four of the group were sentenced at Swansea Magistrates Court on January 30 and another on January 9, 2020.
British Transport Police investigating officer, Detective Cconstable Dan Murdoch, said: "This was a shocking and appalling act of violence by a group of youths.
"The victim, who was concerned for the safety of the trespassing teen, was attacked along with her husband and other members of the public trying to diffuse the situation, leaving them with serious injuries.
"People have the right to travel safely and violence like this on the railway will not be tolerated. I hope this result teaches them a valuable lesson and stops them from committing any other offences in the future.
"We are working closely with other agencies on local initiatives to prevent this type of anti-social behaviour from happening again."
