Judgment at the district court of Berlin
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30-year-old is permanently in psychiatry after death drive on Ku’damm
The man who drove his car into a group of pedestrians at the Memorial Church in the summer of 2022 should be permanently in a psychiatric ward. The district court ruled that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and was therefore not guilty.
More than ten months after the death drive on Berlin’s Ku’damm, the verdict against the driver was issued on Friday. The mentally ill 30-year-old should be permanently housed in a psychiatric ward, according to the Berlin Regional Court at noon. In addition, the court imposed a lifetime driver’s license ban on the man.
The court convicted the 30-year-old in a so-called security procedure, which included the allegation of murder and 16 cases of attempted murder. However, the man suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and is therefore not guilty, it said. The 30-year-old is a seriously ill man whose decay is progressing, said the presiding judge Thomas Groß.
The placement in a psychiatric ward is necessary for the protection of the general public. The judges followed suit Application by the public prosecutor and private prosecutor. The man’s trial began on February 7.
Accusation: deliberately drove into pedestrian groups
According to an expert report, the man, who suffers from chronic paranoid schizophrenia, was innocent and could not be punished, according to the public prosecutor. Without treatment, it is to be feared that the accused will commit further dangerous acts. The prosecutor also applied for a lifetime driver’s license ban against the man.
School class from Hesse particularly affected
A school class from Hesse was particularly affected by the accused man’s death journey. Their 51-year-old teacher was killed, a colleague and eleven students were injured, some critically. A 14-year-old visitor to Berlin was also one of those affected. In addition, a 32-year-old, who was seven months pregnant, and two 29- and 31-year-old men standing in front of a snack bar were seriously injured.
After the death drive, the authorities had a total 142 victims registered. They come from Hesse and seven other federal states and three other EU countries.
Motive question not answered in the process either
The question of the driver’s motive remained open in the process, it said in the pleadings. The 30-year-old stepped on the gas pedal for no apparent reason. The accused had remained silent in the process.
His defense attorney said that from his point of view no murder characteristics could be assumed because of his client’s severe mental illness. The attorney went on to state in his pleading that he would not oppose an order to place his client in a psychiatric hospital.
Broadcast: rbb24, April 21, 2023, 1:00 p.m