Charges filed in Berlin metro beating case
Two weeks after a brutal attack at a Berlin metro station, the main 18-year-old suspect has been officially charged with severely assaulting the victim.
The young man, previously identified as Torben P., is accused of attacking the 29-year-old man at Friedrichstraße U-Bahn station. In a surveillance video, Torben P. appears to stomp on the man’s head repeatedly. The victim was knocked unconscious and is currently recovering.
The assailant and another suspect subsequently turned themselves into police but Torben P. was immediately released on bail by a judge, prompting outrage throughout Germany.
Gisela von der Aue, Berlin’s justice minister, told RBB Inforadio that prosecutors have responded quickly to the case. Charges of versuchter Totschlag, which is similar to causing grievous bodily harm are being pursued.
Martin Stelzer, a spokesman for the city's prosecutors office, confirmed the charges, but said he couldn’t elaborate until they have officially been served on the suspect. It is not clear whether charges have also been filed against the second suspect.
But von der Aue defended the decision to release Torben P. from jail, saying the rule of law had been closely followed.
The Local/DAPD/DPA/mdm
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The young man, previously identified as Torben P., is accused of attacking the 29-year-old man at Friedrichstraße U-Bahn station. In a surveillance video, Torben P. appears to stomp on the man’s head repeatedly. The victim was knocked unconscious and is currently recovering.
The assailant and another suspect subsequently turned themselves into police but Torben P. was immediately released on bail by a judge, prompting outrage throughout Germany.
Gisela von der Aue, Berlin’s justice minister, told RBB Inforadio that prosecutors have responded quickly to the case. Charges of versuchter Totschlag, which is similar to causing grievous bodily harm are being pursued.
Martin Stelzer, a spokesman for the city's prosecutors office, confirmed the charges, but said he couldn’t elaborate until they have officially been served on the suspect. It is not clear whether charges have also been filed against the second suspect.
But von der Aue defended the decision to release Torben P. from jail, saying the rule of law had been closely followed.
The Local/DAPD/DPA/mdm
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