Danish man remanded in custody over death following punch to the head on Islands Brygge
A 31-year-old Danish national is to appear in Copenhagen City Court on 7 October, charged with assault against a 32-year-old Swedish man who died three days after being struck with a punch at a World Cup screening.
Prosecution: Imprisonment and nightlife ban sought after death at World Cup screening
A 31-year-old Danish national is to appear in Copenhagen City Court on 7 October, charged with striking a 32-year-old Swedish man with a heavy punch at a large-screen event on Islands Brygge in Copenhagen. This emerges from the charge sheet, which B.T. has obtained access to.
The prosecution is seeking imprisonment and a time-limited nightlife ban as a sentence in the case.
Course of events on 30 June
The assault took place on 30 June at 20.45, when a World Cup match between Norway and Ivory Coast was being shown on Islands Brygge. According to the charge sheet, the 31-year-old stood on a bench and threw two beer cans in the direction of a group of people – including the 32-year-old Swedish man. Another person was struck by the cans on the upper body.
Immediately afterwards, the 31-year-old struck the Swedish man with a heavy punch, according to the charge. The blow struck him on the left side of his head and neck, and he fell to the ground. As a result of the blow, a rupture of an artery occurred, and on 3 July – three days after the incident – the Swedish man died.
Charge under mild assault provision
The 31-year-old is charged under section 244 of the Penal Code, which is the mild assault provision. Additionally, a charge has been brought under section 247, which applies when the perpetrator has previously been convicted of dangerous crime. The 31-year-old has among other things a conviction for attempted manslaughter.
A conviction under section 247 can result in an increase in the sentence by up to one half.
Criminal law expert Lotte Helms, lecturer at the University of Southern Denmark, explained to Ritzau in July that a punch to the head would as a matter of principle fall under section 244.
"A punch to the head will as a matter of principle be 244, but I cannot rule out that it could fall under 245 if, for example, one had specifically aimed to strike the neck in a particular way. But it will always be a concrete and individual assessment, and ultimately it is the courts that assess it," she said.
The fact that the case has not been brought under the serious provision on assault with death as a consequence is presumably to be seen in connection with the fact that there was a single punch.
Eight to ten months' imprisonment
A prosecutor in the case has previously stated that the 31-year-old man is expected to receive a sentence of eight to ten months' imprisonment – a markedly shorter sentence than if the charge had been brought under the provision on serious assault with death as a consequence.
The nightlife ban, which the prosecution is likewise seeking, will entail that the man during the period from 00:00 to 05:00 is prohibited from being present and residing at food service establishments with sales of strong drinks and in designated nightlife zones.
The 31-year-old has been remanded in custody since the beginning of July. He is protected by an anonymity order and, according to previous reports, denies guilt.
Two others charged in connection with the incident
Police prosecutors have moreover charged two other persons under the mild assault provision in connection with the event on Islands Brygge. Their cases are being handled separately.
One is a 24-year-old Danish national, who is charged with having stamped on the Swedish man whilst he lay down, and with having struck another Swedish man. The other is a Somali national, who is charged with having kicked the latter.
Source: B.T.