A German court has sentenced a 24-year-old man to 10 years in prison for fatally assaulting a train conductor. The incident occurred in February in Rhineland-Palatinate when conductor Serkan Calar, 36, asked the defendant for a ticket and ID. The defendant struck Calar in the head, causing a brain hemorrhage that led to his death two days later.

The victim's family considers the sentence too lenient and plans to appeal to the Federal Court of Justice. Their lawyer, Yalcin Tekinoglu, said the family wants a clear message against rising violence toward public transport employees.

During the trial, a Federal Police officer testified that the defendant had been removed from a high-speed train from Paris to Frankfurt earlier that day for verbally aggressive behavior, calling it a "run-of-the-mill incident."

Interior Ministry figures show that threats and attacks on railway employees and Federal Police are common. In the first five months of this year, 1,630 railway workers and 4,672 federal police officers were victims of crimes. Last year, an average of five physical attacks on railway workers were recorded daily; this year, the number has risen to eight.

Violence researcher Leon Walter from Bielefeld University attributes the trend to societal stress and the enclosed space of trains, which can create a "perfect storm" during ticket inspections. Passengers without tickets cannot escape, leading to rare but violent outbursts.

Walter notes that conductors often bear the brunt of passenger frustration over Deutsche Bahn delays. Many employees consider quitting due to workplace violence and lack of support.

In response, Deutsche Bahn head Evelyn Palla has expanded the use of body cameras for customer-facing staff to long-distance services. The company is also hiring 200 additional security personnel and improving emergency buttons.

Walter emphasizes training: conductors should never touch or restrain passengers and must have the option to skip ticket checks if the situation seems dangerous. "Railway companies and the federal government should establish regulations that make it clear that safety always takes priority," he said.

Source: www.dw.com