A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to 22 months in prison after an unprovoked attack at York railway station left a man requiring urgent brain surgery, following an investigation by British Transport Police (BTP).

Connor Walker, of Park Road in Durham, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm at Durham Crown Court on Thursday 20 November. The assault took place on Saturday 6 September 2025, just after 6pm, when Walker returned repeatedly to the station before punching a man in his 40s.

The victim was knocked unconscious and later taken to hospital, where doctors discovered a fractured skull and two bleeds on the brain that required immediate surgery. The attack occurred after Walker had initially shadowboxed aggressively in the station’s portico and loitered briefly outside.

Police were able to identify Walker quickly. On Sunday 7 September, Northumbria Police recognised him from images circulated by BTP, and he was arrested two days later in Durham.

DC Sam Killerby, investigating officer, said:

“I'm extremely pleased with the result in this case - Walker's unpredictable and volatile actions were disgusting and it is only by sheer luck that the victim wasn't more seriously injured, or our investigation could have been very different. Violence, unprovoked or otherwise, has absolutely no place on the railway network and we will continue to act quickly and decisively to secure justice for the victims.”

Image: British Transport Police