Unlawful activity - Upcoming trial for a driver in Volkmarsen who went on a rampage.
A court in Germany has been mulling over the stunt at the Rosenmontagszug carnival parade in Volkmarsen, Nordhessen, since Monday. The sticking point is whether the person found guilty can be held in preventative detention after having served their sentence. Already, the conviction for attempted murder in the first degree has been decided and is legally binding.
The instigator, aged 29 at the time of the incident, had intentionally rammed his vehicle into the spectators along the roadside. This occurred during the carnival parade in Volkmarsen on February 24, 2020. The incident led to nearly 90 people sustaining injuries, with some of them being quite serious. Among the wounded were also 26 children.
The Kassel District Court pronounced a life sentence upon the German resident as the punishment for his crimes at the end of 2021. The judge additionally determined the gravity of the offence and requested a reservation for preventative detention to be made.
If the severity of the offence is confirmed, the chance of being released early after serving 15 years is highly unlikely. Preventative detention after completion of the sentence is not a punishment, but a measure taken to prevent potential dangers if the perpetrators are still deemed dangerous. It could hypothetically mean they never get released again.
The jailed individual appealed the verdict. The Federal Court of Justice eventually affirmed the life sentence declaration in March. Nevertheless, they also ordered that the reservation for the preventative detention matter had to be reconsidered by another Kassel District Court chamber. Therefore, the 10th Large Criminal Chamber will solely focus on the question if the requirements for a reservation for the preventative detention order fulfillment exist. The court has set another hearing for May 29, where a ruling could potentially be announced.
Please note that this paraphrase is an attempt to closely match the original text. The rephrased text aims to imitate the original in its style while maintaining its meaning.
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- In light of the incident, the question of whether a person convicted for the rampage can be subjected to preventive detention after serving their sentence has been debated in the Regional Court of Kassel, Germany.
- The accused, Waldeck-Frankenberg native, had intentionally driven his car into the crowd during the Rose Monday parade in Volkmarsen, resulting in numerous injuries, including 26 children.
- The Kassel District Court sentenced the driver to life imprisonment for his crimes in late 2021, also reserving the possibility of preventive detention upon completion of the sentence due to the gravity of the offense.
- Germany's Federal Court of Justice upheld the life sentence in March this year, but ordered a reconsideration of the preventive detention reservation by another Kassel District Court chamber.
- The upcoming trial in Volkmarsen will focus solely on this question, with the 10th Large Criminal Chamber expected to announce a ruling during the May 29 hearing.
- Preventive detention, when applicable, is not a form of punishment but a measure aimed at preventing further crimes by deemed-dangerous individuals—possibly leading to their continuous incarceration.
Source: www.stern.de
