Bremen driver sentenced to probation after death of 15-year-old
The Regional Court Kiel convicted a 23-year-old from Bremen of aiding and abetting drug dealing and sentenced him to 18 months on probation. The teenager died during a robbery of a drug deal in Eckernförde.
Judgment following escalated drug deal in Eckernförde
The Regional Court Kiel has convicted a 23-year-old man from Bremen of aiding and abetting drug dealing and sentenced him to a suspended prison sentence of 18 months. The probation period is four years. As noz.de reported, the decision played a central role in processing a fatal conflict that led to the death of a 15-year-old in front of a supermarket in Eckernförde in March of this year.
The court was of the opinion that the accused acted in self-defence when he used his knife during a drug transaction. According to the account of presiding judge Philipp Wirth, the teenager opened the car door, drew a knife himself, and attacked the man from Bremen. The accused reacted in fear for his life and stabbed without aiming, striking the 15-year-old in the chest. The teenager died that same evening from his injuries.
Initially, the man from Bremen had been charged with manslaughter and held in investigative custody for more than half a year. The public prosecutor's office changed its charges during the trial and demanded a prison sentence of three years for drug dealing. The defence had requested a fine or probation sentence. The lawyer for the parents of the deceased, however, insisted on a conviction for manslaughter.
The court determined that the 23-year-old was only acting as a driver and received 200 euros for this role. His companion had no driving licence and acted as a drug dealer. The accused was unfamiliar with the location and the young people involved, but admitted in court that he had drawn the knife and knew what was at stake in the deal.
In the chamber's view, the 15-year-old and his older brother had planned to "rip off" the men from Bremen. They intended to pay with forged 50-euro notes in a plastic bag, valued at approximately 400 grammes of cannabis. When the manipulated banknotes were discovered, the older brother drew a blank-firing pistol and threatened the drug dealer. The teenagers attempted to steal cash, bank cards, and mobile phones from the men from Bremen.
During the confrontation, the situation escalated when the 15-year-old opened the car door and attacked the accused with a knife. The Bremen duo subsequently fled in the car, but the accused turned himself in two weeks later. Judge Wirth emphasised in his judgment that "whoever has a knife or other weapon with them is ultimately prepared to use it" — a cautionary conclusion regarding the consequences of the events in this case.
The judgment is not yet final. The public prosecutor's office and the co-claimant may lodge an appeal within one week.
Source: Die Zeit Kriminalität