Court in Ústí hears case of man who wanted to attack with knife at Žatec asylum facility
A fifty-six-year-old defendant faces charges at the regional court in Ústí nad Labem of preparing mass violence at an asylum home. After being ejected, he sought a weapon with the intention of "clearing" the facility.
Court in Ústí hears case of man who wanted to attack with knife at Žatec asylum facility
The regional court in Ústí nad Labem is hearing the case of fifty-six-year-old Milan Míchel, whom prosecutors accuse of preparing multiple attacks at an asylum home in Žatec. The incident occurred in January of this year. The man was first excluded from the facility after attacking a fellow resident and violating house rules. Intoxicated, he then tried to return, but staff refused him entry.
After being taken out, Míchel went to shops selling second-hand goods, where he wanted to obtain a pointed weapon. In one of the shops, he told the shop assistant that he was looking for a sharper tool because he was heading to the asylum facility, which needed to be "exterminated or cleaned out". The shop assistant reported the entire situation to police, who detained the man before he could carry out his plan. Prosecutor Vladimír Jan stressed that the offence was prevented solely due to the timely warning.
During the main hearing, which began last week, the defendant behaved unpredictably. The chair of the panel had repeatedly to reprimand him for interrupting the proceedings and threatened to have him removed from the room. On Monday during the examination of witnesses, he remained silent when asked to make substantive statements. "I didn't want to kill anyone, that's complete nonsense," Míchel said in one of the few moments when he commented on the matter.
A psychologist who examined his mental state concluded that the defendant does not suffer from serious psychiatric illness, but exhibits severe personality disorder. "He does not have the ability to contemplate the consequences of his actions," she testified. During the pre-trial investigation, Míchel claimed he suffered from schizophrenia and had been hospitalised several times. He explained his attempt to obtain a knife as a fear of being attacked by other residents and a desire to force someone to call the police.
An employee of the asylum facility described how Míchel first received a reprimand for smoking in his room. A moment later, already intoxicated, he physically attacked a fellow resident, which led to his immediate removal. The defendant called her testimony false, but failed to present a credible version himself. When asked about previous convictions, he replied that he had suffered severe hallucinations. "I had blackouts in front of my eyes, otherwise I would never have done it," he said. He was unable to describe the specific act, but mentioned that he had attempted to kill himself several times and that he would welcome euthanasia.
The verdict is expected to be announced on Wednesday. Míchel faces a sentence of up to twenty years or an exceptional measure.
Source: Novinky.cz
Source: Novinky.cz