Process - Verdict in the trial of circus performers: prison sentences and fines
After 15 days of hearings, the Bielefeld Regional Court has convicted the operators of a children's circus of causing grievous bodily harm. According to court spokesman Guiskard Eisenberg, the sentences range from three and a half years in prison to a fine. On trial were the 30-year-old director of the company from Holzheim near Dillingen (Bavaria), his 43-year-old stepfather and his now 17-year-old son, as well as the director's wife. Together, they had planned to punish a married couple from the Ukraine who worked for them with a baseball bat because they wanted more money and had threatened to resign.
When the circus stopped off in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in the Gütersloh district on February 19, 2023, the boss's wife lured the couple to a caravan. There, the 30-year-old immediately struck and hit his employee on the head. The accused admitted these and other blows and apologized during the trial to the victims, who had also been hit by his stepfather and by the then 16-year-old with an object.
During this time, the director's wife threatened both of them with death. The charges included attempted murder. However, the court considered a phone call from the 43-year-old to the police after the attack to be a withdrawal from the attempted murder, so that the defendants were convicted of dangerous bodily harm, said Eisenberg.
According to Eisenberg, the boss of the join-in circus must go to prison for three and a half years. The stepfather got off with a suspended sentence of two years in prison. The 17-year-old was sentenced to one year's probation under juvenile criminal law. The wife must pay a fine of 1,350 euros (90 daily rates of 15 euros each).
The sentence is based on an agreement between the parties involved. The circus family paid a total of 35,000 euros to the victims. The judges also ordered the young man to find a job or apprenticeship. Otherwise he will have to do 60 hours of community service.
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The 30-year-old director hails from Holzheim, a town near Dillingen in the Bavarian region. The criminal proceedings took place in the Regional Court of Bielefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia. The incident occurred during a stopover of the circus in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, part of the Gütersloh district. The couple from Ukraine worked as employees in the circus. The fine imposed on the director's wife amounted to 1,350 euros, which is equivalent to 90 daily rates of 15 euros each. The young man was ordered to seek employment or an apprenticeship; failing to do so will result in 60 hours of community service. The Ukrainian couple had threatened to resign, demanding more money. The trial was held in the same court where Jutta's murderer, after 37 years, might face conviction.
Source: www.stern.de
