Process - Scars on face and soul - knife attack on ex-wife
Your face is covered in scars. They will inescapably remember their ex-husband, who stands trial at the Aschaffenburg District Court for attempted murder. With a kitchen knife, he allegedly attacked the 36-year-old woman unexpectedly in the Aschaffenburger Inner City. She was nearly defenseless, receiving numerous heavy stabs and cuts. "He acted - without uttering a word - with the knife repeatedly on her, inflicting her several powerful stabs and incisions, especially on the face", states Prosecutor Jürgen Bundschuh at the trial's beginning.
And ever the question of why
The prosecution is convinced that the 39-year-old Somalian wanted to avenge his ex. "The defendant wanted to punish the victim because she had separated from him or refused to resume the relationship", explains Bundschuh. He held the victim responsible for his own miserable life. He was filled with resentment and envy, that his ex was happy with the children, "while he lived penniless on the streets. These motives are, from a general moral standpoint, at the lowest level and particularly contemptible", says Bundschuh. The goal was to unsettle her.
"It is beyond doubt that he is the culprit, (...)", says the defendant's lawyer. But why did this crime occur in January? His client would not speak about the reasons. "He will remain silent in his defense", announces attorney Jens Goymann merely.
Victim scarred forever
The defendant, in blue prisoner clothing, covers his face with a red notebook before photographers. When the images of his injured wife are shown, he often looks to the ground.
Deep cuts on the face and upper body, everywhere there was blood: The victim was "severely mutilated", reports an investigator before the 1st Large Penal Chamber. "The face was slashed, with gaping wounds."
More than a dozen witnesses observed the attack. A man attempted to prevent the attack on the 36-year-old. Other witnesses later pursued the perpetrator. "That was not ordinary", describes the officer the situation at the time. "Those were scenes that reminded one of the Würzburg rampage."
On June 25, 2021, a psychologically ill Somalian in the Würzburg Inner City attacked unknown people with a kitchen knife. Three women died, nine people were injured.
Unprovoked attack
According to the investigation results, there was no dispute between the former partners in the Inner City of Aschaffenburg immediately before the attack. They had three children together, the woman had three more from previous relationships. "She was married to the defendant according to Muslim law", reports the police officer. The 36-year-old had separated from the man about a year and a half before the crime due to his alcohol and gambling addiction, which he did not want to accept. Two days before the attack, the man had declared the divorce to her.
The relationship was ultimately one-sided, stated the chief commissioner. The 39-year-old wanted to move back in with the woman, though. He had believed that he needed a fixed residence to renew his residence permit. The victim had not agreed to this, however.
The woman is scheduled to testify in court in the afternoon. A total of six hearing days have been planned for the trial up until the 24th of July.
The woman's scars are a constant reminder of the unprovoked knife attack she endured in the heart of Aschaffenburg, Germany. This resulted in a legal process at the district court in Aschaffenburg, with the defendant, a Somalian man, standing trial for attempted murder. The public prosecutor's office in Bavaria is convinced that the man sought revenge due to their broken relationship and his resentment towards her new life with their children. In court, the defendant chose to remain silent, providing no explanation for the crime's timing in January. Despite the lawyer's assertion of his client's silence, the evidence against him is overwhelming.
