Man denies attempted murder of toddler by stepping in front of train – court

A man has denied attempting to murder a toddler by stepping in front of a moving train while carrying a child on his shoulders, a court heard.

Frederick Danquah, 27, allegedly stepped in front of a train while carrying a two-year-old child at Garrowhill railway station, in Glasgow’s east end, on July 2 2023.

He appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday for a virtual preliminary hearing, accused of three charges, and will go on trial at the same court next year.

Danquah is accused of a charge of “severe injury, danger of life, and attempted murder”, by “causing a train to strike you and the child”.

He denies another charge of “culpably and recklessly” carrying the child on his shoulders, while attempting to climb over a footbridge on the M8 at Argyle Street and Waterloo Street, on the same date.

Court documents allege he made an “attempt to pull yourself and the child over said fence with a total disregard for the safety of the child and users of the said motorway below, all to the danger of his life, your own life, and the lives of the road users on the motorway below”.

He is also charged with breaking bail conditions after he was granted bail in August 2023.

Danquah denies all three charges.

A trial date was set for July 7 2025 at the High Court in Glasgow, with the trial estimated to last five days.