People were sickened after seeing CCTV footage of a man violently kicking a woman down a flight of stairs at a Berlin metro station.
28-year-old Svetoslav Stoykov carried out his vicious attack against a random woman in October of last year at the Hermannstrasse metro station. The motive remains unclear.
He was sentenced to a prison sentence of two years and 11 months, facing the charges of grievous bodily harm (GBH), as well as a non-related charge of exhibitionism.
While imprisoned at Berlin’s Heidering Prison, Stoykov has himself become the victim of violent behaviour.
Last Friday, some other inmates at the prison hid their faces with T-shirts and rushed into Stoykov’s cell to attack him after a prison guard opened his cell door at at 4.05pm.
Stoykov had apparently been relaxing on a couch at the time, and was beaten by a group of prisoners who quickly dispersed.
According to a police investigator for the Brandenburg police:
He screamed so loud in fear and pain that the guard even heard him through the closed door and immediately ran back.
The prison guard hurried to sound the alarm, and all inmates were soon locked back up in their cells.
The police investigator has added how Stoykov is not safe within the prison:
Out of security grounds, he will be transferred to another prison. In Berlin’s prisons he is not safe.
You can watch the CCTV footage which shocked the world below:
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In the disturbing footage, Stoykov can be seen clutching a bottle and smoking as he sneaks down four steps behind his victim. He then kicks her roughly, causing her to fall several feet to the bottom of the tiled staircase.
The woman hits her face painfully against the hard surface of the station floor, the contents of her bag spilling around her.
Accomponied by three friends, Stoykov, walks back up the stairs and strolls away. One friend stays for a moment to pick a bottle up from the floor before following his companions.
Stoykov is described as a convicted criminal in Bulgaria who was suffering from brain damage caused by a car accident.
The BBC reports his sentence would have been longer, but a psychiatric expert argued that the attacker had diminished responsibility because of the brain injury as well as alcohol and drug abuse.
During the trial, Judge Busch said:
The accused kicked her with full force. His unsuspecting and defenceless victim did not know the attack was coming.
Because the act took place in a public space, in which we all move constantly, something like this could have happened to all of us.
Stoykov’s victim – a student referred to as 26-year-old Jana K. – also spoke at the trial, telling the court how she had fallen ‘head first and landed on her face’.
Jana added she had ‘suffered for months’ after the attack and had ‘initially avoided contact with the outside world’..
Stoykov had cried during the trial, making the following statement:
I swear by my children. I never wanted to cause pain. I must have lost myself.
Stoykov’s exact injuries as a result of the prison attack are not known, however it is understood a doctor was called to treat him.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.