In Germany, the driver received a life sentence for hitting the participants of the carnival | News from Germany about Germany

Almost two years after a car hit a carnival procession in the West German town of Volkmarsen, which resulted in about 90 people being injured, a court in Kassel on Thursday, December 16, imposed the maximum sentence on the accused driver – life imprisonment. The 31-year-old man was found guilty of attempted murder of 89 people, causing dangerous bodily harm in 88 cases and dangerous interference with traffic.

At the same time, the court established the special gravity of the driver’s guilt, which excludes his early release after 15 years in prison. Thus, the court found it proven that Maurice P. on 24 February 2020 deliberately directed his car at a group of participants in the Volkmarsen carnival in the north of the federal state of Hesse. There were many children among the victims.

Motives unknown

The accused himself remained silent throughout the trial, his motives are still unknown.

According to the results of the psychiatric examination, the crime could be associated with a serious personality disorder. The man suffers from a disorder of the narcissistic, schizophrenic and paranoid spectrum. However, the experts found no reason to place him in a psychiatric clinic.

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The car ran into people at the carnival in Germany: how it was
The car crumpled the spectators and participants of the procession
At about 14.30 local time, a silver Mercedes-Kombi drove around the fence separating the participants of the carnival procession from the audience, and crashed into the crowd. Shortly after the incident, police said they were investigating the incident as an attempted premeditated murder.

The car ran into people at the carnival in Germany: how it was
The suspect is detained
The driver who hit him is 29 years old, a German citizen and a native of Volkmarsen. Immediately after the emergency, he was detained. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Frankfurt am Main, the man was injured. It was not possible to interrogate him shortly after the incident. He had already come to the attention of the police under the article on insults and violation of the inviolability of the home.

The car ran into people at the carnival in Germany: how it was
Several children are among the wounded
Frankfurt am Main police chief Gerhard Bereswill reported 30 injured. Seven of them were seriously injured. There are several children among the victims. Local police spokesman Henning Hinn clarified that a number of injuries are life-threatening.

The car ran into people at the carnival in Germany: how it was
The investigation was taken over by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Frankfurt am Main
The representative of the Attorney General’s Office Alexander Badle (Alexander Badle) was unable to provide journalists with information about the suspect’s motives, citing “the continuation of the investigation.” Local police do not believe there was a politically motivated attack. There, however, they are convinced that “the criminal act was deliberate.” The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Hesse did not rule out a terrorist attack.

The car ran into people at the carnival in Germany: how it was
Affected people wish a speedy and complete recovery
German Deputy Government Spokesman Ulrike Demmer wished all the victims “a speedy and complete recovery.” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote that his thoughts were with the wounded and thanked the emergency services for the quick response to the emergency.

The car ran into people at the carnival in Germany: how it was
Small town in central Germany
Volkmarsen is a small town in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district with a population of about 6,800. It is located 30 kilometers from Kassel (Hesse) in central Germany. According to the organizers of the carnival procession, held on “Mad Monday” (Rosenmontag), it could have attracted about 1,500 spectators and participants.
Author: Ekaterina Venkina