Scott Christie ran onto the roof of Edinburgh’s Waverley station while being chased by a gang, then fell on 25,000 volt electrical overhead lines before crashing onto rail tracks
A teenager was electrocuted and suffered horrific burns after he was forced to jump from the roof of a major train station while being chased by a gang.
Scott Christie fell on powerful 25,000 volt electrical overhead lines before crashing onto rail tracks at Edinburgh’s Waverley station. In the incident in May 2023, the 18-year-old was left with second degree burns to 35 per cent of his body.
He also suffered a serious head injury, a large gouge out of his thigh and bruising to his lungs when he fell 30 feet from the roof of the station. One witness who rushed to his aid said he could “smell the burnt flesh for three days afterwards” while a police officer who attended the scene said Scott’s injuries were the worst she had ever seen.
The teen spent two months in hospital after the incident, but he has been left permanently scarred and he now suffers from PTSD and nightmare. During a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Scott said he had to seek refuge on the station roof in a bid to escape a gang of youths who had chased him following an argument.
Leo Brown, 22, and Taylor Welsh, 20, who were part of the gang, admitted pursuing Scott onto the roof but denied they had forced him to land on the tracks below. A jury found the pair guilty of conducting themselves in a disorderly manner and pursuing Scott, causing him to jump or fall onto overhead electrical wires and a train track, all to his permanent impairment, disfigurement and danger to his life, Edinburgh Live reported.
Scott told the court that he had been drinking with the group of youths at Princes Street Gardens before one boy took offence at a comment he made and he decided to head home. However, the gang followed him, and he admitted striking one boy in self-defence before fleeing towards the train station as he felt “threatened” by the group.
He told the court he had little recollection of being on the roof and how he ended up being electrocuted after falling onto the power lines at around 11pm on May 8, 2023. Witness Mark Smellie said he was on a train waiting to go home when he “saw a flash and heard a huge bang” that cut all the power at the station’s platform 9.
The theatre manager said he got off the train and heard a moaning coming from the tracks and spotted the seriously injured teenager attempting to climb onto the platform. Mr Smellie, 54, helped the teen up and administered first aid until the emergency services arrived.
He told the court the boy was “spitting up blood and his clothes were all burned” and he could see “a large chunk of his leg was missing.” He said: “It was horrific. I could smell the burnt flesh for three days afterwards.”
Police officer Chloe Henry, 30, also said she could smell “burning flesh” coming from the injured boy when she rushed to the scene. The officer added: “I was quite taken aback, it was probably the worst [injuries] I’ve ever seen.”
The court was shown CCTV of Scott being chased along Princes Street by the group before he is seen climbing onto the roof and being followed by Brown and Welsh. The pair decided not to give evidence but admitted they had pursued Scott onto the roof of the station during their police interviews that were played to the jury.
They both said Scott jumped onto the tracks below but denied causing him to do it. Following four days of evidence, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on both accused on Friday afternoon.
Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss said: “You have ended up being convicted of a charge which is serious and had devastating consequences for Scott Christie. Before I decide on an appropriate sentence in this case I am going to call for a justice social work report and a restriction of liberty order assessment.” Brown and Welsh, both from Edinburgh, were granted bail and sentence was deferred to next month.
