Railway Cellphone Attacker Escapes Jail
A self-appointed Long Island Rail Road etiquette enforcer has escaped jail after he was prosecuted for assaulting a fellow traveler who used a mobile phone. John Clifford, defending himself in court on two misdemeanor charges and two violations stemming from a March 2007 incident where he attacked two people on the railway.
"It's about time we brought some civility back to the Long Island Rail Road," the 60-year-old cop-turned-lawyer had told the judge who found him innocent. "And if nobody can do it except an old ex-cop who wants to be left alone, so be it."
In the March 2007 incident, three passengers described how Clifford screamed at 19-year-old dramatic-arts student Nicholas Bender who was using his phone. When the student responded by suggesting that Clifford should himself be quieter - he responded with a stream of insults.
When a fellow passenger gave the student her business card and offered to be a witness should he call the police, Clifford slapped Klein's hand twice during a scuffle for the card.
The judge ruled that while his behaviour is inappropriate - it was not illegal.
"We're disappointed," an spokesman for the railway company told the New York Post of the verdict. "We will not tolerate aggressive behavior by Mr. Clifford if he seeks to impose his own standards of conduct on others."
On the web: New York Post
Posted to the site on 13th April 2008
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