A man with a history of drug and alcohol problems trespassed on the rail line at Ipswich Station on Friday night as a “cry for help”, a court has heard.

Sean Lawless, 41, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at South East Suffolk Magistrates Court on Monday to trespassing on the rail line at Ipswich Station, after attempting to phone an ambulance from the phone at the station’s public enquiry office.

He then walked along the platform and onto the line at around 9.35pm, causing trains to be stopped. He was arrested by officers, before he jumped onto the tracks again and having to be detained by officers again.

Defending, Shade Abiodun, said it was “simply a cry for help”.

He was fined £50 for breaching a suspended sentence, and ordered to pay a £30 victim surcharge.

He was fined £30 for the trespass, which magistrates said he had been paid as time spent during custody.