Thu, Oct 26th 2023
On Thursday, a 24-year-old man appeared before the Supreme Court of the Canton of Zurich to answer charges including running over a police officer. The prosecution has charged him with multiple counts of attempted murder. The verdict will be announced at 4:30 pm.
The District Court of Winterthur sentenced the Swiss man in March 2022 to 16 years and three months in prison for multiple attempted murder and other offenses. Instead of sending him to prison, however, the court sent the 24-year-old to a psychiatric clinic. The defense wanted to change this at the Supreme Court.
She said that her client was doing well thanks to the treatment, and he was certainly capable of creating a measure for young adults, where he could also pursue a vocational training. She also called for new assessments, as the existing ones were inadequate.
She pleaded guilty to a charge of negligent grievous bodily harm and other offenses, and requested a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine.
He knew that there were people standing there.
The prosecutor demanded a full confirmation of the initial verdict. During his drive on a sidewalk, the accused was aware that people were standing there and that he would hit them, which could seriously injure or even kill them. At least eventual intent was present.
It is more important than a punishment that the young man receive a residential treatment. The clinic report shows that he is in the right place and is making progress. However, it is too early to talk about transitioning him to a program for young adults.
First, he needs the closed framework of the clinic. Secondly, a measure for young adults compared to a prison sentence would be unacceptably short.
In October 2019, a Swiss man in Winterthur broke through a police barricade in a stolen car, critically injuring a police officer and narrowly missing another. A psychiatric evaluation revealed that the suspect had paranoid schizophrenia, likely due to his excessive cannabis use.
The court will open the verdict on Thursday at 4:30 pm.
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