July 9, 2026, 12:26 p.mJuly 9, 2026, 12:26 p.m
Fatal punches during a ticket check: Five months after the brutal attack on a train conductor in Germany, the defendant was sentenced to ten years in prison.
The 26-year-old didn’t have a ticket at the beginning of February and reportedly hit the conductor so hard that the man suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. The judgment of the Zweibrücken Regional Court (Rhineland-Palatinate) was made for bodily harm resulting in death and is not yet legally binding.
Victim’s lawyer announces appeal
After the judge’s verdict in Hall 4, the survivor’s lawyer emphatically announced that he would file an appeal with the Federal Court of Justice. “The verdict is another slap in the face for the relatives and for all people who work for the community and put themselves in danger every day,” criticized Yalcin Tekinoglu. Ten years in prison for assault causing death was a “miscarriage of justice”.
The family did not appear at the verdict in protest. From the perspective of the relatives, the court should have at least examined the possibility of a homicide. The defense is also reportedly considering reviewing the verdict.
Video shows attack on single father
The case has sparked a debate across Germany about the lack of safety on trains. The crime in the regional express near Landstuhl is well documented – also because the event was recorded by surveillance cameras. The accused Greek did not have a ticket and did not want to identify himself. The crime occurred after the train attendant asked him to get off.
A soundless video shows fast and hard punches to the chin, chest and head of 36-year-old Serkan Calar. It only lasts a short time before the man in uniform collapses unconscious. At the next stop in Homburg (Saar), the defendant was arrested and the seriously injured man was treated by an emergency doctor. He died two days later in a clinic. The single parent from Ludwigshafen in southwest Germany leaves behind two underage sons.
“A completely pointless freak out”
The defendant admitted the crime, but denied any intention to kill and asked the relatives for forgiveness. However, representatives of the co-plaintiff rejected the statement on behalf of the victim’s family as “disingenuous”. The perpetrator at least accepted the death of Serkan Calar, lawyer Yalcin Tekinoglu said.
The defense spoke out in favor of a conviction for bodily harm resulting in death as a less serious case, “which is based on the lower range of the sentencing range”. On the other hand, public prosecutor Christian Horras had demanded twelve years in prison for Ioanni V, who last lived in Luxembourg: the crime was “a completely pointless freak out” for a trivial reason. (sda/dpa)