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The thief, who had been previously tormenting the victim as he slept at the station, then jumped onto the tracks, took the man’s phone and jewellery, and then left the 38-year-old to be hit by an oncoming train.

Half of Johnny’s left foot has since been amputated and his right knee was damaged to a such an extent that he’ll need a prosthetic in the future.

"I stole the telephone because I needed money to eat," he said through an interpreter as he sobbed in court last week, according to the TT news agency.

He added that he had left the victim on the tracks as he was afraid that he would be suspected for pushing him down.

However, leaving someone to be hit by a train is not illegal, a fact that the 28-year-old’s lawyer highlighted throughout the trial.

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