'Dirty look' behind alleged Tube murder bid - court

Brwa Shorsh is alleged to have pushed a man on to the tracks at Oxford Circus station

A postman was pushed in front of an oncoming Tube train by a stranger who thought he had been given a dirty look, a jury has heard.

Tadeusz Potoczek was shoved off the southbound Victoria line platform at Oxford Circus station by Brwa Shorsh, 24, in an act of "shocking and random violence", Inner London Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Sam Barker told the court that "happily tragedy was avoided" on 3 February as Mr Potoczek did not fall on to the electrified rail and a witness rushed to help pull him off the track.

Mr Shorsh, who listened to the hearing through a Kurdish interpreter, denies attempted murder.

'Seconds from disaster'

The defendant, of no fixed address, has also pleaded not guilty to an alternative count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

The lights of the oncoming train could be seen from the platform, the jury heard. The train driver, Robert Walker, spotted Mr Potoczek, who was wearing a bright red jacket, and hit the emergency brake.

The train was travelling at 37mph (60km/h) and two of its eight carriages entered the platform.

The court heard that the driver felt Mr Potoczek had a lucky escape as the lines were live.

Mr Barker said: "He [the driver] felt that if he [Mr Potoczek] had been on the tracks a few seconds later, he would have been killed.

"If he had looked away for a few seconds, Mr Potoczek would have been killed. He thought that the gap between disaster was about a few seconds."

Mr Barker said: "The prosecution say there is only one reason you would push someone in front of a train and that is to kill them."

'He felt disrespect'

Mr Potoczek was on his way home via central London and looking up at a notice board when the incident happened.

The court was told that he noticed Mr Shorsh was on a bench and not moving and seemed to be lying down and sleeping.

Mr Barker said: "Without a word of explanation or sort of provocation, [the defendant] leapt up and shoved him hard."

The defendant was arrested later that afternoon at Warren Street station and told police he had pushed Mr Potoczek on to the track because "the man had given him a dirty look and he felt disrespect", the court heard.

Mr Barker told that court that Mr Shorsh said he knew the rail was electrified and that it was extremely dangerous but that "disrespecting him was dangerous".