The trial of an Afghan man began today at the Görlitz Regional Court. He is accused of stabbing his blind neighbour. The prosecution accuses the defendant of attempted manslaughter. Attempted murder for malice aforethought could also be a possibility, said presiding judge Theo Dahm after reviewing the investigation file.
At the beginning of the trial, the accused confessed to the crime. He had felt made fun of by his neighbour. The 70-year-old man from Bautzen had arranged a job for him in an assembly company in Bischofswerda, 40 working hours a week. This was allegedly the condition for the 23-year-old to get a residence permit in Germany, i.e. not to be deported. The accused had debts, among others with his landlord and the health insurance company. His new boss had therefore paid a large part of his wages to creditors and paid him only 50 euros a week, the neighbour described. The accused also had debts with him. They added up to 4,000 euros. The man from Bautzen gave him pocket money, financed a course and driving school. “I wanted to help him get on his feet in Germany. I felt sorry for him.” He wanted the borrowed money back, considered it a loan.
He could not explain the crime. The accused had visited him from time to time, including on September 12 of last year. The man from Bautzen opened the door without suspicion, heard him walking through the hallway while he was sitting on the couch in the living room. Suddenly he said: “I have to kill you now”. Then the blind man felt a blow and another. There were four knife wounds in total, as doctors later found out. One went through the lungs to the heart. The pensioner was in intensive care for a week. The man from Bautzen could only be saved by rapid medical treatment. He dialled the emergency number with his last ounce of strength, while the accused ran to the police and turned himself in.
He had not been in control of his senses, the Afghan with the childlike face defended himself. He had wanted to punish his neighbour, to hurt him, but not to kill him. However, he could no longer recall the details of the crime. The Afghan came to Germany at the end of 2015. In Bautzen, he first worked at McDonalds. He moved into an apartment building on Löhrstraße. The two became acquainted with each other. The accused called the relationship with his neighbour fine. He had been nice and had helped him. In the weeks and months before the crime, the accused allegedly heard voices. The accused had taken drugs in the past. A few hours before the crime, he allegedly wanted to take his own life with a mobile phone cable.
The trial will be continued.
https://www.radiolausitz.de/beitrag/blinden-niedergestochen-prozess-in-goerlitz-763249/
