Brutal robbery in Büren an der Aare: Bern resident sentenced to 10.5 years imprisonment
The Bern Court of Appeal has increased the sentence to ten years and six months. The 29-year-old was close to tears at the verdict.
Court of Appeal increases prison sentence to ten years and six months
The Bern Court of Appeal has sentenced a 29-year-old Bern resident to ten years and six months in prison. In May 2022, the man and an accomplice severely assaulted a 55-year-old man in his home in Büren an der Aare. According to 20 Minuten, the perpetrators knocked their victim down, left the flat and later returned to smash a bottle over his head.
The convicted man had appealed against the first-instance verdict of nine years and six days, hoping for a lighter sentence. However, the Court of Appeal ruled against him on Thursday and fully followed the prosecutor's application.
The 29-year-old had entered the courtroom with confidence. When the judge announced the verdict, he was close to tears. His girlfriend, who was present in the courtroom, also appeared visibly shaken.
His defence counsel had requested a maximum of eight years in prison and applied for the man to continue his therapy while in the correctional facility. The court did not follow this application. In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered a residential therapeutic measure: the convicted man must undergo treatment at a specialised facility.
In the grounds for the verdict, the judges established that the 29-year-old had shown no remorse whatsoever. The therapy undertaken so far was insufficient to treat his dissocial personality disorder; he also lacked the necessary motivation for change.
The judge instructed the convicted man to read a multi-page letter from the victim. In it, the 55-year-old describes how the attack still haunts him and has changed his life. "Read this letter, then you can see what such a senseless, unscrupulous act does to another person's life," said the judge. In closing, he offered words of encouragement to the convicted man: "Even though today's verdict did not turn out as you wished, I wish you much strength and motivation for your therapy."
Whether the defence counsel will appeal the verdict to the Federal Court remains open. The victim's lawyer considers such a step pointless. The Court of Appeal has already assessed the case with great differentiation, he told 20 Minuten – he does not believe that the Federal Court would reach a different decision.
Source: 20 Minuten