- Three and a half years of imprisonment for inflicting a stabbing on a local inhabitant.
Due to a knife attack on his roommate in a refugee shelter, a 33-year-old Tunisian was given a prison sentence of three years and eight months by the Hamburg Regional Court. He was found guilty of causing serious bodily harm. The prosecution had charged him with attempted murder and sought a six-year sentence, while the defense requested two years of probation.
Defendant Thought Roommate Was Recording Him
The defendant and his 22-year-old Syrian roommate had been living in peace in a residential container in the Wilhelmsburg district before the incident. In his ruling, presiding judge Matthias Steinmann stated that the cohabitation had been harmonious. On the night of January 18, 2024, the defendant woke up, believing his roommate was recording him with a phone. This angered him. When the 22-year-old looked out the window, the defendant picked up a knife with a 12-centimeter blade and stabbed it into the back of his roommate's neck. The defendant claimed to have considered the man's life in doing so.
Attempted Murder Withdrawal
"The victim was completely defenseless and helpless," said Steinmann. The 22-year-old fell to the ground and attempted to defend himself, sustaining a defensive injury to his hand. His cries for help alerted nearby residents of the shelter, but they did not intervene to take the knife away from the defendant. Despite this, the defendant stopped attacking his victim and surrendered to the police at the security office, handing over his knife. The court viewed this behavior as a voluntary withdrawal from attempted murder.
4-centimeter-deep Neck Wound
The knife had penetrated 4 centimeters into the 22-year-old's neck, potentially proving fatal. The injured man was treated on an outpatient basis in the hospital, avoiding the need for surgery. "Thanks to luck and coincidence!" said the judge. The circumstances leading to the incident and the incident itself were significantly disproportionate, according to Steinmann.
The defendant's actions were not minor, emphasized Steinmann, as the defendant had no previous convictions but had attempted to shift blame for the injury onto the victim. It is highly likely that the 33-year-old will be deported to his home country of Tunisia after serving two-thirds of his sentence. The verdict is not yet final.
The 33-year-old Tunisian's case was initially heard at the Hamburg Regional Court, but an appeal could be made to the The Court of First Instance if necessary. After being found guilty of causing serious bodily harm, the defendant's original sentence of attempted murder was reduced due to his voluntary withdrawal from the attack.
