A 20-year-old man has appeared in court in London charged with the murder of an Irishman, who was allegedly pushed in front of a Tube train on Friday night.
Mehmet Bala (20) - from east London - appeared at Horseferry Road Magistrates Court, central London, today where he was remanded in custody and committed for trial at the Old Bailey was remanded in custody.
John Curran (52) was standing on a crowded Victoria Line platform as the train pulled into Highbury and Islington station in north London on Friday night.
British Transport Police said Mr Curran, who lived in north London, was a machine operator for a construction company and worked in the North Greenwich area of south east London.
He had a long term girlfriend and no children. His family said: "The family of John Curran are devastated by the loss of a gentle and caring man.
"John was loved by all who knew him and his family and friends are mourning his loss. This was a senseless incident which took the life of a good man.
"The family and friends of John would ask the media to respect their privacy and to allow them to mourn John in peace."
Police are appealing for people to come forward who were at the station or saw the alleged attack on the platform on Friday around 6pm.
A spokeswoman said there were witnesses seen on CCTV who officers particularly wanted to talk to, including: 1 — a woman in her 20s with long brown hair who was sitting on a bench on the platform and was believed to have a good view of the incident.
2 — a man aged 20-30 wearing an orange top, who was standing nearby and chased the suspect out of the station. 3 — other people who also chased the suspect out of the station.
The spokeswoman said: "It is crucial these people all come forward. All witnesses will be treated sensitively and in the strictest of confidence.
PA