A young Rugby man has been in criminal court because he said he would take his own life

The man, who the Advertiser has chosen not to name, had pleaded not guilty at Coventry Crown Court to a charge of obstructing an engine or carriage using the railway on January 25.

At that time his barrister Martin Butterworth said the issue in the case was to be the man's ‘intent and state of mind.’

But at a pre-trial hearing at Warwick Crown Court, Mr Butterworth asked for the charge to be put again – and the man, in his early twenties, changed his plea to guilty.

The court heard the man had said he would jump from the railway bridge in Rugby, resulting in the railway line being suspended.

The lunchtime incident also led a stretch of road being close for around 50 minutes, it was said at the time.

And Mr Butterworth observed at a previous hearing that it was alleged the incident had cost ‘half a million pounds because of a delay of less than 50 minutes.’

After the man had entered his guilty plea, Mr Butterworth asked for the case to be adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be prepared on him, as well as an addendum to a psychiatric report which had been prepared following an earlier hearing.

Adjourning the case until mid-December for those reports to be obtained, Judge Anthony Potter granted the man bail.

Support is available if you are struggling

If you are struggling with your mental health, or you are having thoughts of harming yourself, support is available.

Samaritans can be contacted 24/7, for free, by calling 116 123. You can also visit www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan to find out how to contact the organisation via email.

Hopeline UK specialise in helping people under the age of 35 who are struggling with thoughts of suicide.

They are open between the hours of 9am and 10pm on weekdays, 2pm to 10pm on weekends and 2pm to 10pm on bank holidays.

They can be reached by calling 0800 068 4141, texting 07786209697 or emailing [email protected]

Anyone with concerns for the welfare of another person under 35 can also contact the Hopeline for advice.

Visit papyrus-uk.org/hopelineuk to learn more.