A sign with the inscription "Defendant" is placed on the court bench. © Arne Dedert/dpa/Symbolbild
It took the Düsseldorf district court only one day instead of three days to hear the life-threatening knife attack in a refugee shelter in Neuss. This may also have been due to the defendant's less than credible statement.
Düsseldorf - A 27-year-old has been sentenced to five years in prison for a life-threatening knife attack in a refugee shelter in Neuss. The Düsseldorf district court found the man guilty of attempted manslaughter on Monday.
The judges, presided over by Rainer Drees, thus complied with the prosecutor's request. The defense attorney had requested acquittal for his client.
He had claimed that the victim had inflicted the serious injury on himself. However, the judges were able to rely on the testimony of several employees of the security service working in the accommodation as well as the recorded eyewitness reports of roommates at the time.
The fact that the Tunisian was drunk at the time of the crime had limited his ability to control slightly, but not significantly, according to the verdict.
"You know, it's so common here in Tunisia: If you want to pin something on someone, then two people talk to each other," the 27-year-old said on Monday. In this case, it was the victim and his brother.
But according to the court, the 27-year-old had rammed a kitchen knife with a 13-centimeter-long blade into his compatriot's chest.
A security guard had testified as an eyewitness that the 27-year-old left the room of his compatriots at night after an argument, returned shortly afterwards with a knife and stabbed. He saw the blade still flashing, the security man described.
The defendant had admitted that the crime was preceded by a dispute: "We drank a lot - I had twelve beers and half a bottle of schnapps. And then they demanded the rest of the wages from me for my smuggling," said the 27-year-old. However, he did not have the outstanding 500 euros.
At that time, a blood alcohol test showed that the defendant had a blood alcohol level of 1.9 per thousand, the court said. The defendant is also threatened with expulsion. Three days of hearings were scheduled for the trial, but the criminal chamber had no doubts about the guilt of the 27-year-old after only a few hours. Dpa
