THREE Abbey Wood men who abused and attacked a train passenger have been locked up.

Connor Phillips, 20, of Grovebury Road and 19-year-old Karl Rozier, of Mountjoy Close, were each sentenced to 21 months in a young offender institution.

While Ashley Mongen, 18, of Sewell Road, was locked up for 20 months in a young offender institution.

The trio were sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday (August 12) after pleading guilty to violent disorder at an earlier hearing.

The court heard police were called to Woolwich Arsenal railway station at 11.10pm on May 28 after a disturbance on the 10.39pm Charing Cross to Gillingham service.

While onboard, a 31-year-old man from Strood, smelt cigarette smoke and asked the men to stop smoking.

He was then subjected to racial abuse, although it was not clear who the comments were made by, before a fight broke out.

The group set upon the victim, who used a Stanley knife to defend himself, wounding the three men and himself in the process.

Concerned passengers, who had tried to stop the fight, pulled the train’s emergency cord and police officers met the train at Woolwich Arsenal.

After receiving hospital treatment, the trio were arrested.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Vanessa Cottington, from the British Transport Police, said: “For simply asking the group to stop their antisocial, loutish behaviour, the man was submitted to a tirade of vile, racist abuse before being violently attacked.

“Not only was this incident terrifying for the victim, but equally for other passengers on the train, who desperately tried to intervene and break it up.

"Thuggish, racist behaviour like this will not be tolerated on the rail network and we will continue to put offenders who think otherwise before the courts."