District attorney's office - Rock trial: Accused turns himself in the day before
Following numerous delays, the prosecution brought up charges of grave bodily harm towards a member of a motorcycle gang at the start of the trial on Tuesday. The proceedings at the Bielefeld Regional Court were initially disrupted by a bail hearing for one of the defendants in the morning. He had given himself up to the authorities just the previous night - upon arriving from Turkey. He was subsequently detained.
Subsequently, one of the defense lawyers filed several motions. Besides asking the judge to step down, she also protested the reading of the indictment. Ultimately, in the afternoon, the court decided that two witnesses would be dropped. The reason provided was that the day's timetable could no longer be adhered to.
The prosecution alleges that six accused individuals from Bielefeld and Herford viciously attacked and injured a fellow member of the Hells Angels back in March 2023. According to prosecutors, they covered the victim with club symbols and markings from a tattoo artist. After that, they are said to have assaulted the victim with baseball bats and violently kicked him in the head.
The indictment posits revenge as the motive. The alleged victim supposedly claimed that a high-ranking member of the Bielefeld motorcycle gang - one of the defendants - had been cooperating with the justice system. The Regional Court plans to hold six more sessions until June 25th.
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The defendant's timely surrender from Turkey resulted in an unexpected disruption to the trial's schedule. Due to this delay, the public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia had to adjust its processes. The alleged rocker group member's actions could potentially complicate the overall crime investigation. The ongoing trial in Bielefeld is expected to last until June 25th, adding more delays to the already complex legal process.
