Regional court - Second trial after acid attack: defendant remains silent
The second trial into the acid attack on energy manager Bernhard Günther began at Wuppertal District Court on Wednesday with the reading of the indictment. Afterwards, the defendant announced that he did not wish to comment on the case. He referred to his lawyers. However, the defense attorneys also did not use the time scheduled by the court in the morning to make a statement. The court then interrupted the trial before the first witness hearing.
Günther had been the victim of an attack almost six years ago. Two masked men ambushed the manager near his private home in Haan near Düsseldorf and doused him with highly concentrated sulphuric acid. According to the investigation, they received the order to do this in February 2018. According to the indictment, one of the two was the now 36-year-old Serb. The charge is of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.
The second perpetrator with a Belgian passport has already been sentenced to twelve years in prison for the horrific attack. Günther's aim is still to uncover who ordered the dastardly attack, as his lawyer Martin Meinberg said before the second trial. He represents the joint plaintiff.
Günther, now 56, had to undergo several operations. Eyelids and parts of his facial skin were transplanted. At the time, Günther was CFO of the energy company Innogy, which was taken over by the Eon Group a few days later.
Günther was not in the district court on the first day of the trial. According to his lawyer, he only wants to come when he is questioned as a witness.
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The trial is taking place at the Regional Court in Wuppertal, known as the 'regional court Wuppertal'. Despite the indictment reading out, the defendant chose to remain silent and refer to his lawyers. The attack on energy manager Bernhard Günther, which occurred in North Rhine-Westphalia, involved a company named Innogy, which was subsequently taken over by the Eon Group. The defendant hails from Serbia, while the second perpetrator, with a Belgian passport, has already been given a twelve-year sentences for the acid attack. Regardless of his silence, Günther's primary goal is to uncover the individuals who ordered the heinous attack. This incident highlights the rise in criminality, including acid attacks as a form of violence, within the region.
Source: www.stern.de
