Updated: Dramatic Railway Police Chase Ends With Capture In Tunnel

Published on: 27 Sep, 2014
Updated on: 1 Oct, 2014

The suspect is brought up from the railway line and across the bridge at Ferry Lane.

By Martin Giles

A dramatic police chase along the live railway line from Peasmarsh to Guildford, ended with the capture of a suspect in the chalk tunnel, just south of Guildford station.

The suspect later named as Christopher Howard, 26, of Cumberland Avenue, Guildford, was found in suspicious circumstances in premises by New Pond Road, Peasmarsh at 6.53 pm. Almost surrounded by police officers, he chose his only available escape route, the nearby railway line, to evade capture.

He was pursued by the police, on foot, just feet from potentially lethal, live electric lines and tracked along the railway with the aid of a helicopter from the National Police Air Service which was observed circling over St Catherine’s, a mile south of the town, for some 15 minutes before the chase ended.

Having secured the north end of the tunnel, the police moved in and proceeded southwards, with powerful torches, searching for the suspect believed to be hiding there. By this time, power had been disconnected from this section of the the railway.

At around 7pm, as the police approached the south end of the tunnel and came back into radio communications, they confirmed they had made an arrest. Shortly afterwards the police team emerged with the handcuffed suspect. He was, a white man, approximately 5ft 9in, of medium build with a close cropped or shaven head, stripped to the waist.

He was heard to complain of being exhausted by the chase which, from Peasmarsh is a distance of about a mile.

The suspect can be seen in the top left of the photo climbing into the police van that took him to Guildford custody suite.

He was led up from the railway line to Ferry Lane, a police van was summoned, and he was driven away to Guildford custody suite at Guildford police station. Ten police officers were observed in Ferry Lane and one Network Rail employee, who was observed assisting with communications between the police and the railway operator.

Later a police spokesman said: “A 26-year-old man from Guildford has been arrested on suspicion of being found in enclosed premises, trespassing on the railway and obstructing the railway. He has been bailed until Tuesday, 14 October, when he will appear at South West Surrey Magistrates’ Court.”

Train services were suspended for about an hour while the chase was in progress but resumed within minutes of the capture party being clear of the line.

Responses to Updated: Dramatic Railway Police Chase Ends With Capture In Tunnel

Dave Middleton Reply

September 28, 2014 at 1:44 pm

Well done Surrey Police.

At a time when all anyone ever seems to do is criticise and moan about the police, how about a well done to the officers involved who put themselves at risk to apprehend this suspect?

And before anyone moans about it taking ten officers to arrest him, I expect that it only took one or two to actually arrest him and the others were involved in containing the area so he couldn’t slip away. Well done to the boys and girls in blue.

Yes, as I witnessed the incident, as well as reporting it, I can confirm that is how the officers were deployed i.e. to secure the area. Others crewed the vehicle used to transport the suspect. I did not mean to imply any criticism of the police, at all, in my report. Thank you for your comment. Ed.