Passenger who put swollen bare feet on train seat says he did nothing wrong

A defiant commuter who took off his shoes and socks on a train then put his bare feet on a seat says he did nothing wrong.

Antiques collector Andrew Dignan was travelling on the lunchtime service from Buxton to Manchester when he decided to go barefooted in the carriage.

Challenged by angry fellow passengers, Dignan refused to back down: ‘I can do what I want – if you don’t like it go and sit somewhere else.’

In fact, he angered them so much that one of Dignan’s shoes was thrown off the train after he allegedly refusing to move.

But now he has hit back, explaining that he has swollen feet and does not know the cause so needed to let them breathe.

The 49-year-old-landlord says he heard the fellow commuter ranting about his bare feet but pretended to be asleep to see how it would unfold.

According to Andrew, the man who confronted him was intimidating and reminded him of when he was bullied as a child.

Andrew said: ‘I go all over the country on trains. And I know most of the trains operators.

‘I’m a quiet guy and the train was not full at all.

‘I took my shoes and socks off to put my feet on the seat because my feet are swollen. I’ve had a swollen belly for ages and I don’t know what’s causing any of it.

‘It was barely a third full – there were no woman and children sat at the side or anything.

“And I wasn’t being intimidating or anything because there’s no way I could have gone and done that.

‘We sat there. An obnoxious guy with no hair on his head was just sat there and he took and instant dislike to me. He was looking for an argument.

‘I said to him, after feeling all this confrontation and pretending to be asleep for a while, that “I think someone like you looks for arguments on the train everyday don’t you?” – I suppose I was being sarcastic.

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‘He said ‘you put your shoes on the seat’ and was saying things like “I took your photograph”.

‘I said to him well if you don’t like it just sit at another part of the train because we don’t need this confrontation.

‘He didn’t move, he just took my photograph. He said to me “the next time I see you you’re going to be worse off”.’

‘I was very distressed about it because the guy got hold of my top and threatened me. I’m not a violent lad and I come from a fairly decent standard of living.’

Dignan, who said he has appeared three times on Dickinson’s Real Deal television programme, added that he ‘very, very frightened and intimidated’.

He added: ‘If he would have said “look, I’m really upset, could you please put your feet down?” I would have done it but I’m just not being spoken to like that – I was bullied at school and the experience brought it all back.

‘He must have had that funny attitude in his head. He was saying things like “I’ll have you again” and “Just wait till the next time I see you”.’

Dignan said he was suffering from a medical complaint, so had taken his shoes ans socks off.

‘I could hardly get out of bed on the morning after it happened. I was going to Buxton to collect antiques but it ended up just being a horrible experience.

‘I was frightened of getting beaten up. I felt like crying. The guy on the train, the guard who was there, said to me “it wasn’t your fault”.

“I took my shoes and my socks off and it’s been swelling around the tops of my feet.

“I’m frightened I’m going to be fined and I’ve done nothing wrong. I didn’t use any swearing words or anything. I don’t drink anymore so I hadn’t had a drink or anything.