Homeless man who pushed stranger into path of oncoming Tube train jailed for attempted murder

A homeless man who pushed a stranger on to Tube tracks, and into the path of an oncoming train, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of eight years.

Brwa Shorsh, 24, was sentenced for attempted murder on Thursday at Inner London Crown Court after being found guilty, the CPS said.

On 3 February, Shorsh pushed postman Tadeusz Potoczek off a platform at Oxford Circus station and into the path of an oncoming Victoria Line train.

Mr Potoczek, who was 60 at the time of the attack, was on his way home from work.

He had walked past Shorsh who was sitting on a bench.

Without any provocation, Shorsh leapt up and shoved the postman off the platform, down on to the tracks, according to the CPS.

The victim managed to stay on his feet and a passerby helped him climb back on to the platform just as a train pulled into the station.

A jury heard that Mr Potoczek narrowly missed touching the live rail next to the tracks of the southbound Victoria Line.

The driver of the oncoming train said "if he had been on the track a few seconds later, he would have been killed", Inner London Crown Court heard.

Mr Justice Kelleher awarded the good Samaritan who helped Mr Potoczek £1,000, commending his bravery and quick actions.

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'A dirty look'

Shorsh, a Kurdish migrant, had been sleeping rough in England since 2020.

He ran off before police arrived but was arrested later that day.

During his police interview, he said that he had pushed Mr Potoczek on to the tracks because "he had given him a dirty look", the CPS said.

Maxine Jarrousse-Jones, a senior crown prosecutor at the CPS, said: "Brwa Shorsh attempted to kill the victim by deliberately and forcefully pushing him into the path of an approaching train.

"He intended to harm the victim and it is impossible to imagine anything that could ever justify pushing anyone in front of a train like that.

"If not for the victim's quick-thinking, the courage of the other passenger who came to his rescue and the speed at which the train driver brought the train to a halt, Shorsh's actions could have cost the victim his life."

(c) Sky News 2024: Homeless man who pushed stranger into path of oncoming Tube train jailed for attempted murder