A woman tried to murder a five-year-old boy by dragging him into the path of a train, a court heard.
Radhika Sharma, 35, jumped onto the tracks in front of horrified commuters at a busy London station while holding him, the jury was told.
The terrified driver slammed on the brakes but could not stop in time and saw the pair disappear from view beneath his cabin.
However, both miraculously escaped uninjured when the engine passed harmlessly overhead last June.
Emergency services were called to Stratford station where Sharma allegedly explained to a paramedic that she had been trying to kill only herself.
Police had spoken to her earlier that day for allegedly grabbing the boy and swinging him in front of an oncoming train at Forest Gate station. CCTV film showed the driver braking hard to avoid hitting the child, Snaresbrook crown court was told.
Sharma, of Forest Gate, claimed the boy had almost fallen as he played on railings and she had to catch him. She then boarded a train to Stratford with him. After she jumped onto the tracks, Sharma was taken to hospital for psychiatric assessments and found to have no mental illness. But her condition deteriorated after arrest and she was admitted with severe depression.
Prosecutor Lisa Matthews said: “The defendant got off the train at Stratford and moved to the platform edge. She was then seen on CCTV to walk off the edge in front of an approaching train.
“When asked if she had done it on purpose, she said yes. She told hospital doctors her husband had requested a divorce and she had left home.”
Sharma denies attempted murder and two counts of child cruelty or neglect. The trial continues.
