Train fare row student insists he paid ticket

THE city student who was bundled off a ScotRail train by a commuter because he apparently had no ticket has insisted he paid his fare, as the controversy over the incident continues.

A video of Heriot-Watt student Sam Main, 19, being muscled off the Edinburgh to Perth train by city finance worker Alan Pollock has become an internet sensation, with a million people viewing it online.

It shows Mr Main arguing and swearing with the conductor before being thrown out of the train doors.

Today, the second-year surveying student is reported as saying he was the innocent party in the incident, having been sold two singles from Polmont to Edinburgh instead of a return.

He said: “I wasn’t given a chance to explain the ticket situation.”

Meanwhile, the father of Alan Pollock – dubbed “the Big Man” in the video – has stood by his 35-year-old son, insisting he would have done the same thing. He reportedly said: “I was a wee bit disappointed no-one actually got up and helped him [remove Mr Main from the train].

ScotRail is investigating the incident. The train conductor is reportedly now on annual leave.