A court heard on Monday that a man who was pushed in front of a Tube train by a complete stranger feared he would lose his life.
Brwa Shorsh, 24, a homeless man, is on trial accused of attempting to murder Tadeusz Potoczek by pushing him onto the tracks at Oxford Circus station.
Mr Potoczek, a postman, was pulled to safety by another commuter moments before a train arrived.
When arrested, Shorsh told officers he pushed Mr Potoczek because he believed the postman had “looked at him disrespectfully.”
Giving evidence at the trial on Monday, Mr Potoczek recounted the harrowing experience. He told the jury he was on his way home from work when someone “stood up sharply” and then “threw me.
Mr. Potoczek said he felt some force on his left arm. “I recognize I’m lucky because I (went) quite deep (onto the track). I did not break anything and then I saw the lights,” he told the court.
Speaking from behind a screen, Mr Potoczek expressed gratitude towards the commuter who saved him. “The angel who helped me. I met him today. I say thank you. He held my arm and helped me to jump out,” he said. He added that he thought he could “lose my life” as the train approached.
Prosecutor Sam Barker described the incident as a case of “shocking and random violence.” He explained that on February 3, 2024, Shorsh pushed Mr Potoczek, a total stranger, off the platform at Oxford Circus station into the path of an oncoming train.
Mr Potoczek managed to avoid falling forward onto the electrified line and instead dropped into the gap on the track. To his horror, a train was coming into the station. It was actually at the mouth of the platform entrance,” Mr Barker said.
A fellow commuter pulled Mr Potoczek to safety, while Shorsh reportedly shouted: “What the f*** are you doing here?”
The Tube driver, who pulled the emergency brake when he spotted Mr Potoczek’s bright postman jacket, said it was only a matter of seconds from disaster.
Shorsh fled before police arrived but was arrested later that evening at Warren Street station.
Mr Barker told the jury that Shorsh admitted pushing Mr Potoczek onto the tracks. “He said he had done it because the man had given him a dirty look and he felt disrespected,” Mr. Barker explained.
Shorsh further stated that he was already upset because three young women on a passing train had looked at him disrespectfully, and when he thought Mr Potoczek gave him a dirty look, he “was not able to stand it any longer.”
Shorsh claimed he did not intend to kill Mr Potoczek but was aware of the danger. “He said he did not care at all if the man died or did not die because he was a fool for disrespecting him,” Mr Barker said.
Mr. Barker concluded that the prosecution’s case is that the victim did not even look at Shorsh. “The prosecution has no idea why he behaved like this. No idea at all. The truth of it may be that there was no reason,” he said.
The trial at Inner London Crown Court continues.
