Mother-of-six jailed for pushing suicidal friend off 25ft railway bridge into the path of an oncoming train

Victoria Dickinson was jailed for three years and four months at Nottingham Crown Court today

A 28-year-old woman was today jailed for three years and four months for attempted murder after she pushed a suicidal friend off a 25ft railway bridge into the path of an oncoming train.
Victoria Dickinson was sentenced in Nottingham Crown Court in what Judge Mr Justice Flaux described as an 'unusual and tragic' case.
The mother-of-six claimed that her friend Kate Wiggett, 28, suffered from depression, and repeatedly asked for help to commit suicide.
Witnesses said that Miss Wiggett was pushed by Dickinson after the pair sat on the bridge and 'counted up to three' together.
They pulled the 28-year-old, who had suffered a fractured skull, from the tracks as a train approached.
A witness said Dickinson then referred to her friend, and said, 'She wanted that'.
Dickinson then fled the scene and was later arrested at her home in Malvern.
She was initially charged under the Suicide Act 1961 with helping someone take their own life, but a later plea of guilty to attempted murder was accepted.
Miss Wiggett was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where she was treated for a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and multiple fractures of the spine and pelvis.
Nottingham Crown Court heard the case unfolded after the pair had been drinking together on November 14 last year.
Jonas Hankin QC, for the prosecution said that in the weeks running up to the incident, Miss Wiggett had suffered domestic problems and had become increasingly depressed.
He said she had been asked to leave the family home because of heavy drinking, and often spoke of ending her life.
He said that Miss Wiggett had survived an overdose a week before the fall. She had also told friends that she wanted to kill herself by 'jumping from a bridge', but was 'too scared to do it herself'.
The court heard that Dickinson later told police she was 'adamant' that she did not want to push her friend off the bridge, but she had 'kept on and on about it'.
Dickinson denied knowing there was a train approaching.
Mr Hankin said Dickinson suffered from 'moderate depression' herself, had a low IQ score of 71, and had once attempted an overdose.
But Judge Flaux told her she could have refused and insisted that her friend see a doctor instead. He said it was a 'spontaneous attempt to kill, rather than one that was planned.'

The railway bridge in Malvern Link, where Victoria Dickinson pushed her suicidal friend onto the tracks as a train approached

Mr Hankin said, 'This is not a case of a mercy killing. Kate Wiggett was entitled to look to her friend for proper support and advice.
'Dickinson didn't have to push her. It was clear Kate Wiggett would not have rolled off that bridge voluntarily.
He said Dickinson had been 'too ready to take part in the victim's death. She made no offer to dissuade or help the victim, or sought to get her help.'

Nicholas Roberts, defending, said: 'It is accepted by Victoria Dickinson that she should not have pushed her.'
The court heard Miss Wiggett had now made a full recovery, apart from pain in her shoulders.

However, she had no memory of the incident, and 'struggled to comprehend' how her friend could have pushed her.
Speaking after an earlier court hearing, David Elliott, Sector Crown Prosecutor from West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Victoria Dickinson's actions that evening in November were both callous and deliberate. 
'She was fully aware that the victim was vulnerable and upset and was looking for help, but instead of seeking out care and assistance for her she instead tried to assist in killing her.
'The victim survived the fall, but she sustained multiple injuries. It was only the quick thinking and bravery of members of the public who ran to her aid and pulled her off the railway tracks as a train approached that saved her life.
"Rather than call for help, the defendant then fled the scene. 
'Dickinson took advantage of a victim who was crying out for help, but instead of helping her, she pushed her off a railway bridge.
'There are many support groups for vulnerable people and I would urge anybody who requires help to contact your local support help group as soon as possible.'

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