A Deutsche Bahn train attendant was brutally attacked by a passenger in February. Just a few days later, the DB employee died in hospital due to his injuries. Image: keystone
June 24, 2026, 3:04 p.mJune 24, 2026, 3:04 p.m
The soundless video from the train is almost unbearable. The defendant is seen attacking the conductor. The punches come fast and hard, hitting the 36-year-old train conductor in the chin, chest and especially his head.
It only lasts a short time before the man in uniform collapses unconscious. Two days later he is dead.
When the crime from the beginning of February was shown on the surveillance cameras, loud sobs could be heard in the Zweibrücken regional court in southwest Germany. Someone jumps up and screams “son of a bitch,” several spectators leave the room, others cry.
Punches, fast and hard
The alleged perpetrator sits motionless in the dock in courtroom 4, where the audience is behind a large glass wall. The trial has just begun here against the 26-year-old, who is charged with bodily harm resulting in death.
The Greek is said to have beaten the conductor so severely during a ticket check near Landstuhl in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate that he died of a cerebral hemorrhage in the clinic in Homburg. The case sparked a debate across Germany about the lack of security in rail transport: Would two conductors be better – and would such attacks then be prevented?
According to the German government, around 2,690 attacks on Deutsche Bahn employees were recorded by the federal police in 2025 – around eleven percent more than in 2024.
«I’m a boxer. “I’m a fighter”
The crime heard in the regional court occurred at the beginning of February in a regional express that was traveling from Landstuhl to Homburg in Saarland. The conductor had asked the defendant to show his ticket. But he didn’t have a ticket and didn’t want to identify himself.
He was then asked to get off the train. This angered the man so much that he became violent, the lawsuit says. According to the public prosecutor’s office, he threatened: “I’m a boxer. “I’m a fighter” (“I’m a boxer, I’m a fighter”).
It’s a difficult journey for the victim’s family. Many relatives came: including his father, his four brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles. It is very important to give Serkan a face, says Eray Çalar, a brother.
The family from Ludwigshafen (Rhineland-Palatinate) holds canvases printed with photos with the victim on them. «We want to show that Serkan Çalar is here, that he came with us. His soul is here,” says Brother Ismail. People go into the process with mixed feelings. The alleged perpetrator is seen for the first time.
They wear black and have buttons pinned on them. It says: “Serkan – One of us.” Railway employees also came.
Both family and railway employees are present at the 36-year-old’s funeral.Image: www.imago-images.de
While the public prosecutor’s office has charged the 26-year-old with murder, the regional court considers the crime to be bodily harm resulting in death. It is said that there are currently no reasons for an intention to kill. If this changes during the course of the process, a legal notice will be issued.
The number of spectators is large. So big that not everyone can get in. As the defendant is led in in handcuffs, heckles from the audience: “Shame on you,” “filthy murderer.” It sounds more pained than aggressive. Family members hold a portrait of Serkan Çalar towards the defendant. “It’s a difficult day today,” says a cousin of the victim. Seeing the defendant was depressing.
Defendant apologizes
On the first day, Ioanni V, who most recently lived in Luxembourg, answers questions about himself in Greek. He said through his interpreter that he found out two days after his arrest that the train conductor had died. “He couldn’t believe it was true.” Afterwards, he didn’t eat anything for 20 days and had suicidal thoughts while in custody.
He asks the relatives for forgiveness. “From the bottom of my heart, I would like to express a deep apology for an inexcusable act and a moment of blind anger,” he explains through his defense attorney, who read out a corresponding message.
He was aware that his words could not undo what had happened. “I take full personal responsibility,” said the 26-year-old. “Even though I know that my words cannot ease your pain, I would like to apologize again.”
The defendant – wearing a white shirt and dark jacket, his hair tied in a bun – gives information calmly and in a controlled manner. He studied business, spent some time in England and most recently worked in accounting. He asserts that he has never practiced martial arts such as boxing.
When a verdict might be made
The family’s lawyer sees it differently. In the video you can see “punches with boxing experience,” says Yalçın Tekinoğlu. The defendant knew that his blows could be fatal. He reacts to the admission with skepticism. “That wasn’t a sincere apology for me. It wasn’t an apology at all.” The words are “completely self-centered”.
It is “a major concern of the family” to take part in the process. No verdict, no court could bring Serkan Çalar back. But the relatives hope that this process “will send a signal” that violence against employees in public spaces will stop. According to the lawyer, there were twelve blows.
At noon the father testifies. When the news of his son’s death reached him, he suffered a heart attack, says Erdal Çalar. Losing a child is the worst thing. His son raised his own two sons, ten and twelve years old, as a single parent. «What are you supposed to say? They lost their father.”
When “it” happened, it was his birthday, says Erdal Çalar in a toneless voice. “There is no more birthday for me.”
A total of eight days of negotiations are planned. A verdict would then be expected on July 9th. (sda/dpa)