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Accused with his lawyer in court: "All he can do is apologize and ask the family for forgiveness"
Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa
In Düsseldorf, the regional court has sentenced a homeless man to twelve years in prison for brutally killing a bargeman from Bavaria.
The regional court found the previously convicted 56-year-old guilty of manslaughter on Thursday.
The court had no doubts about the intent to kill the accused, said the presiding judge.
The man confessed to the crime in court.
In view of the brutality shown and the extent of the violence, twelve years are appropriate.
The 56-year-old repeatedly hit the 23-year-old, who was already unconscious on the ground, with a 14-kilogram cast-iron bollard.
According to the indictment, the homeless person felt disturbed by the bargeman at his sleeping place in Düsseldorf's old town.
“He deeply regrets what he did and knows he can't undo anything.
All he can do is apologize and ask forgiveness from the family,” said his defense attorney.
Co-plaintiffs are seeking a murder conviction
With the verdict, the court complied with the penalty demand of the public prosecutor's office.
The lawyer for the dead man's parents, who were joint plaintiffs at the trial, had demanded a life sentence for murder.
The verdict is not yet legally binding.
bbr/dpa