A 39-year-old man rioted at Stuttgart Castle and destroyed numerous windows. After being placed in a psychiatric hospital and subsequently held in custody, the man is acquitted – because of his cannabis consumption.
The act caused a great stir: on the night of February 23rd, 15 window panes and a door in the main courtyard at the New Palace in Stuttgart were destroyed. Apparently paving stones from Schlossplatz were used for this. Because rooms of the State Ministry, the Ministry of Economics and the Ministry of Finance were affected in the castle, a politically motivated act could not be ruled out. The state security agency therefore took over the investigation, and politicians expressed their dismay.
However, it quickly became clear that it was not an attack with a political background. The following night, the police caught a 39-year-old man who was behaving suspiciously in the area of the castle. He may even be planning to repeat the crime. During questioning, he admitted to having smashed the windows. The mentally disturbed man was initially placed in a psychiatric hospital, but a few days later a judge issued an arrest warrant. Since then, the suspect has been in custody until Monday.
The hearing was scheduled for that day at the Stuttgart district court. The outcome: quite surprising. “With expert psychiatric advice, the court came to the conclusion that the defendant did not act culpably due to drug-induced psychosis,” says a court spokesman. The defendant was therefore acquitted, even though he confessed to the crime.
Apparently a 77-page report was drawn up to find out whether the 39-year-old was able to distinguish between right and wrong at the time of the crime. The background to the psychosis with delusions and persecutory fears is said to be prolonged cannabis consumption.
The man is now at large again. Although his illness means that he cannot be convicted, it is apparently not enough to place him in a psychiatric facility. “The conditions for this do not exist,” says the court spokesman. The man was also in custody for over two months.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the damage amount now amounts to 41,000 euros. You are now checking whether you can claim the amount under private law. However, the chances of success are not very great: the man comes from abroad, hardly speaks German, is unemployed and has no social contacts.
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The original for this article “Man (39) riots at Stuttgart castle – acquittal for cannabis consumption” comes from STUTTGARTER ZEITUNG.