Mental health patient tried to kill stranger by pushing him in front of Tube train on day release

A mental health patient has admitted trying to kill a stranger by pushing him in front of a London Tube train whilst on day release.

Ex-Royal Mail worker Alan Alencar shoved Alain Lesjongard into the path of a District line train at Bayswater Underground Station on 2 November last year.

Quick thinking Lesjongard, a 55-year-old father of two, managed to survive by curling up into the foetal position as the train passed over his body, as the driver slammed on the brakes.

Lesjongard, who was on his way back from a job interview, crawled out from underneath the carriage and was taken to hospital suffering from a broken ankle and lacerations to the neck and shoulders.

The shocking incident was captured on CCTV which showed the 29-year-old defendant pushing Lesjongard with two hands before walking away, the Old Bailey heard.

The court heard that Alencar was on day release from a mental institution in Edinburgh, Scotland, when the alleged attack happened, as he was travelling down to see his mother.

It was stated that Alencar had instantly become "immediately regretful" and had tried to stop the train, with no luck.

Alencar pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder at the court and will be sentenced on 9 March after a psychiatric assessment has been conducted, said Judge Sarah Munro QC.

Defending Alencar, his defence barrister Andrew Forsyth, told the court that his client "sends his heartfelt apologies" to Lesjongard and his family and that his client was "seriously ill at the time".

"He had also that day had been to see his mother who was self-detained in a psychiatric unit," he said according to The Sun.

Forsyth had previously told the court: "The defendant has a long history of psychiatric illness. Sadly he was on day release and he had been discharged from a section of the hospital in Edinburgh at the time of the incident - there is much of the background that needs to be explored."