Three young adults sentenced for throwing manhole covers
After throwing two manhole covers onto the Autobahn 7, three young men have been sentenced at Hildesheim District Court - two of them for attempted murder, among other things. The female passenger in a car was critically injured in the attack and the driver suffered serious injuries.
A 19-year-old and a 22-year-old received youth sentences - i.e. prison sentences - of six years and three months and five years respectively, as the court announced after the verdict on Monday. The third defendant, also 19 years old, received a juvenile sentence of two years for aiding and abetting, which was suspended on probation. An appeal can still be lodged against the verdict in the non-public trial.
The judges found the two main perpetrators guilty of attempted murder combined with grievous bodily harm and dangerous interference with road traffic, and the third defendant guilty of aiding and abetting these acts.
The court considered it proven that the two main perpetrators each threw a 24-kilogram manhole cover from a bridge near Hildesheim onto the A7 in the early morning of August 20, 2022. According to the public prosecutor's office, the warehouse worker and the apprentice electrician are said to have accepted fatal injuries in this dastardly act. Both are still in custody. The 22-year-old's driving license was also revoked. He is not allowed to drive for two years.
The third defendant, who is training as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician, is said to have had reservations, but among other things helped with the unloading and thus aided and abetted. The trial was held in camera, primarily to protect him. At the start of the trial, which was still open to the public, his lawyer said that his client was afraid of the trial and ashamed of his behavior.
The sentencing of the three young adults for their actions on the Autobahn 7 highlights the serious consequences of interfering with traffic processes. Their involvement in the crime of throwing manhole covers, resulting in injuries, underscores the need for strict judicature in such cases.
Source: www.dpa.com
