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A former ScotRail worker claims his was the victim of abuse and assaults by passengers for more than 10 years.

Ewan Taylor, 42, feels like his life has been "ruined" by the firm amid claims bosses failed to provide him with enough support during his employment.

The ticket collector, from Greenock, says he was punched in the face, threatened with a knife, attacked by a gang of teenagers and was forced to quit when the catalogue of abusive incidents finally took their toll.

He claims he was never offered enough support by management after spiralling into depression and being signed off on sick leave - and is struggling to get his life back on track due to financial problems.

Ewan told the Daily Record: "I was an ordinary guy who used to enjoy life.

“I've no confidence any more. I don’t go out much. I’m taking medication for depression and I can't travel on a train. It’s basically ruined my life.”

Ewan says he was attacked at work four times and says he faced daily verbal abuse.

And he claims he ended up with a skin infection after being rammed with a buggy but was forced to come back to work on crutches or end up with no pay.

He added: “Being threatened was a way of life. ScotRail have no support for staff with mental health issues.

"When I worked at Glasgow Central, a man came up and punched me then walked on the train casually eating his chips.

"I got £50 compensation but ScotRail will not ban passengers who assault staff.”

Ewan was moved to other stations and says he was threatened with a knife on the Ayr line.

When working out of Gourock, he claims a woman threw a cup of coffee over him when he asked her to move her wet dog from the seat.

The incident which would end his career came when he was attacked by four teenagers on an older train with no CCTV.

Ewan said: “I had to fight them off and get into the cab to safety. They landed a punch above my eye. They ripped seats, sprayed the train with a fire extinguisher and tried to punch the driver."

He added: "I wished I’d never worked for ScotRail. They don’t look after their staff, they’re just interested in profit. Someone is going to get badly hurt.”

Ewan was signed off sick and later accepted an ill health deal to leave his job – but debts left him on the brink of bankruptcy.

ScotRail Alliance denied failing to offer support for staff facing mental health issues.

A spokesman said: “We do all we can to ensure every employee who needs help gets help.”