Prague shop assistant gets 12 years for katana attack on tourists

The Prague City Court has sentenced a young shop assistant to 12 years in prison for attacking tourists in the centre of the Czech capital. The man first went after his victims with a baseball bat, then grabbed a katana and chased them with the sword — a crime the court classified as premeditated attempted murder. Once he has served his sentence, the convicted man will be deported from the country.

What the court found

Presiding judge Jana Miklová said the defendant attacked the victims "for absolutely no reason, in a situation that called for no attack whatsoever." According to her, when he swung the baseball bat, the man was aware that a blow to the head could cause brain injury — a fate the victim avoided only thanks to a successful defence and by fleeing the scene.

The court reached a similar conclusion regarding the katana incident. "The defendant was aware that an attack with a katana could result in life-threatening injuries," the judge stressed. According to case materials, the defendant grabbed the sword from a shelf in the shop at a moment when there was no threat to anyone's life or property, then ran out onto the street and chased after the victims. This was confirmed by CCTV footage and witness testimony.

Consequences for the victim

The court reclassified the charge: prosecutors had originally sought a conviction for attempted manslaughter, but the judges found evidence of premeditation. In his testimony, the victim said that since the attack he has been unable to play sports, underwent rehabilitation until just last week, and still struggles with writing. The court noted that the man's usual way of life has been seriously restricted, particularly because of a wrist injury.

Under the verdict, the katana has been confiscated from the convicted man, who has also been ordered to pay the victims compensation of nearly half a million crowns.

Source: novinky.cz