31-year-old convicted of assault on Swedish police officer at World Cup screening on Islands Brygge
A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to one year in prison for attacking Swedish police officer Christian Zedig during a World Cup screening in Copenhagen. Zedig died three days after the attack.
Death following World Cup screening: one year in prison for assault on Islands Brygge
A 31-year-old man was on Wednesday sentenced to one year in prison by Copenhagen District Court for assaulting 32-year-old Swedish police officer Christian Zedig during a World Cup screening on 30 June at Islands Brygge, according to The Copenhagen Post. The court also imposed a one-year nightlife ban on him. The man admitted his guilt.
The attack occurred while spectators were watching the match between Norway and Côte d'Ivoire. The defendant threw two beer crates at a group of spectators and then struck Zedig in the head or neck. The blow ruptured an artery, and Zedig died on 3 July. He left behind a wife and two daughters.
In court, the defendant explained that he threw the beer crates because someone had thrown beer at his table. When asked whether he had considered the consequences of striking Zedig, he replied: "No, I just hit him."
The judge emphasised the defendant's aggressive behaviour, the fatal consequences, and his previous convictions for attempted manslaughter, rape and assault as aggravating circumstances.
Despite Zedig's death, the man was convicted of simple assault rather than aggravated assault. Special prosecutor Søren Harbo explained that the legal classification depends on how dangerous an attack typically is — not solely on the consequences in the specific case.
Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen of the Social Democrats criticised the sentence and reiterated the government's intention to increase penalties for simple assault resulting in death.
"One can only conclude that when simple assault results in the loss of a human life, the sentence is in certain cases unacceptably low," Wammen wrote in a written statement.
Source: The Copenhagen Post