Killer gets damages over threat by police
Source: Agencies |
August 5, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A German court yesterday awarded a man convicted of murdering an 11-year-old child 3,000 euros (US$4,290) in damages related to a police officer's threat of violence during an interrogation.
The Frankfurt court ruled that 36-year-old Magnus Gaefgen deserved compensation for the deputy police chief's threat, made in an effort to get details about the missing boy in 2002.
But the court rejected Gaefgen's claim he suffered mental trauma as a result of that questioning, and ruled that he must pay most of the trial costs.
The boy, Jakob von Metzler, son of a prominent Frankfurt banker, was found dead and Gaefgen was convicted in 2003 of kidnapping for ransom and murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Judge Arne Hasse yesterday rejected Gaefgen's demand for at least 10,000 euros in damages related to "mental pain" resulting from the officer's threat.
He said: "The plaintiff could not prove his alleged trauma stemmed from how he was treated at police headquarters."
The judge said: "Based on the evidence, it is much more likely this (trauma) is to be attributed to the experience of killing the victim."
He said the officer had not respected Gaefgen's rights at the time he made the threat, before it was known that the plaintiff had killed the boy, who was kidnapped on his way home from school. Gaefgen demanded a 1 million euro ransom.
The Frankfurt deputy police chief who made the threat of violence was convicted of inducing abuse of authority in 2004 and sentenced to a year's probation.
The Frankfurt court ruled that 36-year-old Magnus Gaefgen deserved compensation for the deputy police chief's threat, made in an effort to get details about the missing boy in 2002.
But the court rejected Gaefgen's claim he suffered mental trauma as a result of that questioning, and ruled that he must pay most of the trial costs.
The boy, Jakob von Metzler, son of a prominent Frankfurt banker, was found dead and Gaefgen was convicted in 2003 of kidnapping for ransom and murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Judge Arne Hasse yesterday rejected Gaefgen's demand for at least 10,000 euros in damages related to "mental pain" resulting from the officer's threat.
He said: "The plaintiff could not prove his alleged trauma stemmed from how he was treated at police headquarters."
The judge said: "Based on the evidence, it is much more likely this (trauma) is to be attributed to the experience of killing the victim."
He said the officer had not respected Gaefgen's rights at the time he made the threat, before it was known that the plaintiff had killed the boy, who was kidnapped on his way home from school. Gaefgen demanded a 1 million euro ransom.
The Frankfurt deputy police chief who made the threat of violence was convicted of inducing abuse of authority in 2004 and sentenced to a year's probation.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
