A THUG who continually forced open doors of trains so he could take a shortcut has been jailed for 11 months.

Haydn Jervis, aged 19, of Silverdale, Sydenham, was convicted of three counts of obstruction, one of criminal damage, and one of common assault, at St Albans Crown Court.

The court heard how between last December and May this year, Jervis would travel on trains through Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.

When the train approached a level crossing, he would simply force the doors open, causing an emergency stop, before getting off and walking alongside the tracks in order to take a shortcut.

On one occasion, when challenged about his behavior by the driver, he approached the cab and smashed a window.

In March he assaulted an inspector who had threatened to throw him off a train for not having a valid ticket.

PC Tim Hewitt from British Transport Police said: “Jervis did not take his offences seriously and failed to recognise how dangerous his actions were or how much disruption he had caused to the railway network.

“Fortunately the courts were not so flippant and he was handed a jail term to reflect the severity of his actions.”

Jervis was also given a two-year Asbo on November 30.