Shocking process: 14-year-old gave a friend and let him go blind!

Shocking process: 14-year-old gave a friend and let him go blind!

At the Rottweil district court, the trial against a 14-year-old has started today, who is charged with the attempted murder of a 12-year-old. The incident occurred on December 15, when the accused, while he was in his room with the victim, shot him into his head from a short distance. The 12-year-old survived the shot, but lost his eyesight due to the injuries suffered. The public prosecutor's office accuses the alleged perpetrator's murder, which in the worst case could bring him a juvenile sentence of up to ten years. The accused, who is currently in custody, had made two invited pistols before the incident when his friend visited him.

The background and circumstances of the crime are not yet fully known because they were not published due to the adolescent age of the accused. Three witnesses were invited for the first day of the trial, and later a forensic medical and a youth psychiatric expert should testify. The victim has joined the proceedings as a co -plaintiff. A total of five negotiation dates are scheduled in this procedure by July 14th, with the main negotiations taking place in the exclusion of the public to ensure the protection of the accused.

youth crime in context

The 14-year-old's case is part of a worrying trend in Germany, where the youth power, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), reached a high with around 13,800 cases in 2024. This number is more than twice as high as in 2016. In view of the significant increase in adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17 and also among adolescents between the ages of 18 and 20, experts find that psychological stress, such as caused by the corona measures, could contribute to the increase in violence.

Despite the increase in youth crime, which is predominantly attributable to young men, there was a decline in the number of suspect adolescents in all crimes by around 6 percent in 2024. The proportion of men among the young suspects is almost 75 percent, while even 96 percent of the detained young people are male in the correction. The discussion about suitable measures to combat youth crime revolves between tougher sanctions and the reduction in punishment on the one hand and more prevention to prevent criminal résumés on the other.