One year's imprisonment for fatal assault on Islands Brygge provokes anger among young Copenhageners
Two young students react with disbelief at the sentence against Nkumba Ludovic Tshiembe. The Justice Minister now signals a legislative change.
Young Copenhageners: 'There is something wrong with the system'
One year's unconditional imprisonment for the perpetrator of the fatal assault case at Islands Brygge has triggered strong reactions – most recently from two young students, whom B.T. met on the street in Copenhagen the day after the verdict was delivered in Copenhagen City Court on Wednesday.
Anton Camilo Rosenkrands and Mathias Skaaning, both in their early twenties, did not know the outcome of the sentence when B.T. spoke with them on Thursday. But both had given thought to what punishment would be appropriate.
"At least life imprisonment. He should be away for the rest of his life. It is not fair that you deprive someone of the choice to be alive or not," said Anton Camilo Rosenkrands.
Mathias Skaaning, who has followed the case closely, agreed: "He has taken another man's life. So he must also receive a harsh sentence."
When they were informed that the sentence was actually one year plus one year's ban from nightlife, the reaction was immediate.
"You think it is completely unrealistic," said Anton Camilo Rosenkrands. "There is something wrong with the system."
The case in brief
On 30 June 2024, 31-year-old Nkumba Ludovic Tshiembe struck a 32-year-old Swedish police officer and family man in the throat region on Islands Brygge. The blow caused the victim's carotid artery to rupture, and four days later he died.
Tshiembe was charged with simple assault – a legal classification that Anton Camilo Rosenkrands rejects as an explanation for the lenient sentence.
"What if I happened to push someone? I would have known that I was going to push someone, but if that person then chose to fall with their head onto a kerb and died, it would be tragic – and of course I should also be punished for it," he said.
International and political reaction
The case has spread far beyond Denmark's borders. American billionaire Elon Musk commented on the verdict on the platform X: "Only one year for a murder! Scandalous."
Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen (S) has likewise reacted with dissatisfaction and now signals a bill on enhanced penalties in cases where simple assault leads to death, if the perpetrator has previously been convicted.
Mathias Skaaning has followed the case since summer, partly because the victim was active in the football community. Now that the verdict has been delivered, it gives him no peace.
"It is difficult to understand that the sentence can be so short when another person has lost their life," he said.
Source: B.T.