Thug jailed for shoving postman onto live Tube tracks in unprovoked attack
10 October 2024, 14:40
A homeless thug has been sent to prison for shoving an unsuspecting victim onto live Tube tracks.
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Kurdish man Brwa Shorsh, 24, was given a life sentence with a minimum of eight years, having previously been found guilty of the attempted murder of 60-year-old Tadeusz Potoczek.
Shorsh, who had been sleeping rough since 2020, thought Mr Potoczek, a stranger, had given him a dirty look, prosecutors said before he was convicted.
Mr Potoczek, a postman who was on his way home from work, narrowly missed touching the live rail on the southbound Victoria Line. A fellow passenger hauled him back up, and he suffered no lasting physical injuries.
A man who pulled Mr Potoczek off the track was awarded £1,000 by the judge for his bravery.
Man found guilty of attempted murder after pushing postman onto Tube tracks
The police attended quickly, but before they could arrive, Shorsh had run off. He was arrested that same day
The driver of an oncoming train said that "if he had been on the track a few seconds later, he would have been killed".
Maxine Jarrousse-Jones, of the Crown Prosecution Service, 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.
“Commuters should be able to travel freely without fear of violence or harm and I hope this sentencing is a reminder that such acts will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted as fully as the law allows.”
Shorsh had denied attempted murder and attempted grievous bodily harm.
He claimed that three women had laughed at him for being homeless, which made him angry, and that Mr Potoczek had given him a dirty look, which he felt was "very disrespectful".
Shorsh said that his shove was "scary" but that he did not know a train was coming and had not intended to kill Mr Potoczek.
He added: "He made me angry and I hated him." He later told the court: "I am sorry for what happened. I did not intend to kill him and I am not a murderer."
He said in that split second "I wanted revenge".
