Trans woman claims self-defense after knife attack in Zurich
Published: Thursday, Jan 18th 2024, 14:30
Updated At: Thursday, Jan 18th 2024, 14:32
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A trans woman working as a prostitute stabbed a client in March 2023: While the public prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of three and a half years at the Zurich District Court on Thursday, the 20-year-old demanded an acquittal.
The beginning and the end of the case heard by the Zurich District Court on Thursday are clear: a man entered a small apartment on March 9, 2023 and left it four minutes later naked and bleeding, as captured by a surveillance camera in the entrance area of the building. Two versions of what happened in between were presented in the courtroom.
Attack or self-defense?
The man had arranged a meeting with a sex worker, the prosecutor stated in her indictment. He had assumed that it was a woman who would satisfy him orally. But when she then refused to take off her underpants, he realized that she was a trans woman.
When the punter then demanded his money back, the 100 francs he had already handed over, the 20-year-old suddenly stabbed the man three times in the thigh with a kitchen knife.
The man was curious and knew exactly what he was getting himself into, the defendant said in court. He had already asked her about the size of her penis in previous chats.
When she then pulled down her underpants, he reacted strangely; he was probably dissatisfied with her penis, which had become smaller after seven years of taking hormones. He had choked her and pulled her hair. In mortal fear, she grabbed the knife lying on the floor and stabbed him until he let her go and she was able to lock herself in the bathroom.
No evidence - some circumstantial evidence
The defense lawyer stated in her plea that there was a lack of reliable evidence for the prosecution's version of events. "It is highly unlikely that this is what happened." Rather, it was a situation of self-defense. Her client should be acquitted of the charge of assault and released from preventive detention immediately.
The public prosecutor described the trans woman's statements as not beyond all doubt; they were partly illogical and showed fractures. No injuries were found on her neck, head or torso, and all her artificial fingernails were intact. "This speaks against acts of war, as she claims."
The punter did not suffer any acutely life-threatening injuries as a result of the stabbing, the public prosecutor continued. However, it was only by chance that no artery had been caught. The woman was sentenced to three and a half years' imprisonment and a seven-year ban from the country for attempted grievous bodily harm.
The District Court of Zurich is expected to open the verdict at 4.45 pm.
©Keystone/SDA
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