11 convicted of grievous assault on 17-year-old in Viborg – victim lost consciousness
Viborg Court found ten men and one woman guilty of humiliating violence against a 17-year-old on Friday. The prosecutor describes the case as unusual.
Ten men and one woman sentenced to prison following assault in Viborg
Viborg Court found ten men and one woman guilty on Friday of particularly serious violence of a humiliating nature against a 17-year-old boy, according to B.T. The defendants are aged between 18 and 31 years old and all took part in the assault in April last year.
The young man believed he was to meet a peer acquaintance on Stationspladsen near the railway station in Viborg. Instead, he was surrounded by the group, who gave him numerous punches to his body and head.
The group then forced him into a boot and drove him to a wooded area. There, he was subjected to further violence and threats. The assault was so severe that the victim lost consciousness, suffered fractures to multiple bones in his face, and had a tooth knocked out.
The group filmed the violence and forced him to say that he had had sex with a seven-year-old child and that he was homosexual. They also sprayed him in the face with pepper spray so he could not see.
Four of the convicted subsequently drove the 17-year-old to his home, where they forced him to hand over valuables. The four have on this basis also been found guilty of robbery and continued unlawful detention of the victim.
The sentences range from one year and three months to two years and three months imprisonment. One man, who is an Iraqi national, has been expelled from Denmark with a lifelong entry ban. Two other foreign nationals have received a warning of expulsion.
Although not all 11 convicted delivered blows, all have been convicted of assisting, senior prosecutor Iben Bøttker from Central and Western Jutland Police explains. The court considers the large number of participants to be a particularly aggravating circumstance.
The case is unusual on several points, according to Bøttker. None of the convicted has wished to make a statement during the court proceedings, which she describes as very atypical. Three have neither given a statement to the police nor in court. The court's proceedings have therefore been largely based on reading out police statements.
Senior prosecutor Iben Bøttker says she has never previously handled a case where so many people collectively committed a single assault.
— It is extremely important that we have a judgement that shows that the courts take it seriously when so many people come together to assault one person, she says.
Six of the convicted have appealed the conviction, whilst one chose to accept it. The others have requested time for consideration before taking a position on appeal.
Source: B.T.