A German court has handed down a 10-year sentence to a 26-year-old man who attacked and killed a train conductor during a ticket check in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate five months ago, DPA reported, BTA reported.
The court in Zweibrücken found that the man attacked the conductor after he was caught without a ticket, striking him so hard that he later died of a brain hemorrhage. The attacker was found guilty of causing bodily harm resulting in death. The verdict is subject to appeal.
The lawyer for the victim's family said before the verdict that they would appeal both the qualification of the crime and the length of the sentence. The conductor's relatives, who were not present at the hearing, insisted on a verdict of manslaughter or murder.
The case has sparked a debate in Germany about improving train safety. The national railway company "Deutsche Bahn" has announced plans to equip conductors and staff in restaurant cars with cameras as part of measures to increase security. In this case, the attack was recorded by cameras installed on the train.
According to the court case, the accused - a Greek citizen living in Luxembourg - was without a ticket and refused to identify himself to the conductor. The attack began after the conductor asked him to leave the train.
The silent video footage shown to the court shows 36-year-old Serkan Çalar being hit in the chin, chest and head with rapid, hard blows, causing him to collapse and lose consciousness shortly afterwards. The attacker was arrested at the next stop in Homburg, and Çalar received medical attention but died in hospital two days later.
The single father from Ludwigshafen leaves behind two minor sons. The attacker admitted to the court that he carried out the attack but denied intending to kill the conductor. He asked for forgiveness from the victim's family.