A police officer was brutally attacked to within an inch of his life by three assailants while a 13-year-old accomplice watched on in fascination, a German court heard on Monday.
The Ulm District Court was told how two Turkish brothers, Batuhan B. (24) and Emirkan (18), and a 25-year-old Serbian named Nikola L. indiscriminately attacked their victim, who happened to be a police officer in civilian clothing, in the early hours of Feb. 8 in the city of Ulm.
They are all standing trial for attempted murder.
Prosecutor Janina Möller told the court how the trio approached the man as he walked home from work. They were wearing balaclavas and had the sole objective to “beat up any person” that evening.
The victim reportedly called the police as the group had been behaving suspiciously but had sought to keep his distance before the group engaged in an altercation with him.
“At that moment it was clear to me that I had to take up the fight and had no choice,” the victim told the court.”
A 13-year-old Syrian named Mohammad M. was also with the group, and the prosecution accused the minor of cutting off the victim’s escape route and even striking the victim himself. The case against the minor, however, was dropped by the public prosecutor in May on account of him being under the age of criminal responsibility in Germany at the time of the attack. The age limit is currently 14 years old.
The police officer suffered several fractures to his head, as well as a broken nose and jaw. He was hospitalized in intensive care for eight days and had to undergo several operations as doctors tried to save his life.
“My upper jaw was detached from my skull,” the victim told the court, admitting that he had longed for his mother during the attack as he wished for it to end. “It doesn’t matter in which direction. Whether in the direction of heaven or whether the perpetrators let go of me and I survive,” he added.
The victim told the court how his best friend didn’t recognize him when he arrived to visit him in the hospital and instead walked over to his roommate. His sister also broke down in tears upon seeing the extent of his injuries.
The police officer sustained significant trauma from the incident and still suffers mentally from the ordeal. He has since returned to his job but is not permitted to work night shifts yet.
A court verdict is expected in August.