There are more and more attacks on bus drivers these days. Haon wrote in July 2023 that, according to Volánbusz, there has been a significant increase in cases in which colleagues are verbally or physically abused in recent times. A bus driver is a person performing a public duty, so attacks on them are considered a crime punishable by strict penalties.
Source: Melinda Czinege
The Debrecen Magistrate’s Court held a preparatory session in such a case on Thursday morning, in which a resident of Longzpály is accused of assaulting a bus driver.
He didn’t like what the bus driver said
The incident happened in May 2023 on a Volánbusz flight between Monostorpályi and Debrecen. According to the indictment, the case started when one of the passengers indicated his intention to land late. Nevertheless, the driver stopped at the stop and opened the door, but told the man to report on time next time.
The passenger of the vehicle got upset because of the comment, so an argument broke out between them, the man started shouting at the bus driver and then spat in his face. He got off the bus as he continued to berate the driver, then walked back down the steps and removed the top of a plastic bin by the door and threw it at the driver, hitting him in the face.
As a result of the impact, the bus driver’s nose was bruised, causing an injury within eight days. The prosecutor’s office therefore filed charges for the crime of violence against a public official.
At Thursday’s meeting, the prosecutor requested that the court sentence the defendant to two years in prison if he admits his guilt. He noted that according to the data retrieved from the register, a criminal case is currently pending against the defendant for the offense of disorderly conduct and harassment, as well as for a false accusation.
Source: Melinda Czinege
The defendant, who was free to defend himself, was also present in the courtroom. He answered the judge’s question that he did not want to testify, and that he wanted to talk about what happened later in the case, and he also asked to be confronted with the driver. Apparently, he did not agree with what was stated in the indictment.
In the absence of an admission, the case enters the trial phase. The prosecutor indicated that in the evidentiary procedure, he requests the personal hearing of the bus driver and the four witnesses. The defense joined the motion.
