Manslaughter charge dropped in Helsinki: death of 32-year-old in Kontula remained unclear
Helsinki District Court dismissed a manslaughter charge against a 29-year-old man, as evidence of administering solvent remained insufficient.
District Court dismissed manslaughter charge – death in Kontula shrouded in mystery
Helsinki District Court has dismissed a manslaughter charge brought against a 29-year-old man, according to Ilta-Sanomat. The case stems from the death of a 32-year-old man in Helsinki's Kontula district on 7 January 2024.
According to the prosecution, the defendant secretly administered the victim with a substance known as "lakka", an industrial chemical used illegally as an intoxicant. The dose would have been, according to the prosecution's assessment, fatally large – intended to cause the victim to fall asleep.
The events began in the evening at the victim's girlfriend's apartment, where the defendant, victim, girlfriend and another woman drank alcohol. Later, the victim's girlfriend was unable to wake the man and called the emergency services. Rescue personnel who arrived at the scene found the victim dead.
The defendant appeared in court on bail. His lawyer, solicitor Kari Eriksson, denied the charge in its entirety.
"Even if the victim had been administered lakka, this would not still meet the criteria for manslaughter or causing death by negligence. The victim has been a drug user and used lakka. What is a dangerous dose for anyone is not known," Eriksson argued.
According to the defence, it was an "unfortunate accident" resulting from the victim's own drug use and risk-taking.
The court decided to dismiss the charge because the testimony of witnesses or other evidence did not clarify whether the victim had taken the solvent himself or whether the defendant had administered it to him. The cause of death certificate also left unclear how large a dose the victim had received. For this reason, the court could not assess whether the defendant should have regarded the victim's death as a probable consequence of his actions.
The victim's family demanded compensation for suffering and other costs totalling over 14,000 euros from the defendant.
The judgement is not yet final.
Source: Ilta-Sanomat