Man tried to kill child by stepping in front of moving train

A man who stepped in front of a moving train while carrying a toddler on his shoulders has been found guilty of attempting to murder the child.

Frederick Danquah, 28, took the two-year-old to Glasgow’s Garrowhill station in July 2023 after he was told that his relationship with his former partner was over.

They were struck by the train and taken to hospital but the toddler was left with minor grazes and has since fully recovered.

Danquah claimed he was unable to appreciate his actions due to mental illness but was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow.

Remanding him in custody ahead of sentencing, judge Tony Kelly said the case had been described in court as a “murder suicide”.

“This is grave – to cause harm to a child is beyond comprehension,” he told Danquah.

The trial heard that Danquah had split up with his partner several months earlier but they continued to live together.

On the day of the incident, she had discussed a new relationship she was in and made it clear they were not getting back together.

Danquah then collected the child from another address in the city and posted a message on Facebook saying he could not “continue to live in this darkness”.

Some time later he was spotted trying to pull himself and the child over a fence on a footbridge near the M8 motorway in the Anderston area of the city.

He was spoken to by a police officer and allowed to leave the area.

Danquah then made his way with the toddler to the Garrowhill station where the incident occurred at about 19:20 which left both of them injured.

The child suffered grazes or bruises on the forehead, head, back, face and nose – and was described as looking shocked in the hospital.

Danquah sustained fractures to his lower spine and his jaw.

The first offender, of the city’s Lambhill, was also convicted of culpable and reckless conduct.

He will be sentenced next month after judge has considered background reports.