Man convicted after stabbing girl in neck
The 28-year-old man charged with the stabbing attack against a young girl at a Gothenburg school ground in February was convicted on Tuesday by the district court to psychiatric care.
The man has admitted to aggravated assault after being accused of attempted murder. After stabbing the 10-year-old girl in the neck he fled the scene and alerted the emergency services himself.
“There’s been a terrible accident,” he said, according to daily Aftonbladet.
The 28-year-old fled home to his apartment where he went to bed. When he woke up again he went to the airport and got on to a flight to Malaga, in Spain.
Well there, he contacted the Swedish consulate, telling them that he was wanted by the police.
He is adamant that he never meant to kill the girl.
A psychiatric evaluation has shown that the man was suffering from a serious mental disorder both when committing the crime and while the investigation was carried out.
Therefore he couldn’t be sent to prison but will most likely be sentenced to mandatory psychiatric care.
According to the prosecutor it was “sheer luck” that the girl survived. When the emergency services came to the scene the knife was still stuck in her neck.
Despite the shock, the attack has affected both the children and the staff at the Bergsgårdsskolan in Hjällbo, in Gothenburg, less than the school administration had anticipated.
“There is no visible worry among the students. They have put it behind them,” said Principal Janne Niklasson to news agency TT.
One of the reasons behind the lack of reactions is that police arrested a suspect fairly soon into the investigation, he told TT. That the girl changed schools may also have had an effect.
According to Niklasson there are probably more parents than students who feel unsafe, three months after the attack.
”We have tried to prevent that, and above all we have increased supervision in the school yard,” said Niklasson to TT.
TT/Rebecca Martin
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The man has admitted to aggravated assault after being accused of attempted murder. After stabbing the 10-year-old girl in the neck he fled the scene and alerted the emergency services himself.
“There’s been a terrible accident,” he said, according to daily Aftonbladet.
The 28-year-old fled home to his apartment where he went to bed. When he woke up again he went to the airport and got on to a flight to Malaga, in Spain.
Well there, he contacted the Swedish consulate, telling them that he was wanted by the police.
He is adamant that he never meant to kill the girl.
A psychiatric evaluation has shown that the man was suffering from a serious mental disorder both when committing the crime and while the investigation was carried out.
Therefore he couldn’t be sent to prison but will most likely be sentenced to mandatory psychiatric care.
According to the prosecutor it was “sheer luck” that the girl survived. When the emergency services came to the scene the knife was still stuck in her neck.
Despite the shock, the attack has affected both the children and the staff at the Bergsgårdsskolan in Hjällbo, in Gothenburg, less than the school administration had anticipated.
“There is no visible worry among the students. They have put it behind them,” said Principal Janne Niklasson to news agency TT.
One of the reasons behind the lack of reactions is that police arrested a suspect fairly soon into the investigation, he told TT. That the girl changed schools may also have had an effect.
According to Niklasson there are probably more parents than students who feel unsafe, three months after the attack.
”We have tried to prevent that, and above all we have increased supervision in the school yard,” said Niklasson to TT.
TT/Rebecca Martin
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