Eight explosive devices exploded within a few weeks: after the series in Berlin-Schöneberg, a teacher as a pipe bomb maker was sentenced to three years and ten months in prison.

The regional court of the capital found the 30-year-old guilty of causing an explosive explosion, of dangerous bodily harm, of attempting to cause an explosive explosion in six cases and of handling explosive substances on Monday. 

The teacher, who spoke of enjoying pyrotechnics in the process, knew that his actions were dangerous, said the presiding judge. The accused had accepted that people could be hit during the acts in a residential area. In one case, a passerby was slightly injured. In addition, broken pieces have flown into children's beds. "What you did was not a stress-coping quirk, it was a crime," the judge reproached the teacher. 

According to investigations, the confessing man detonated eight self-made explosive devices between the end of December 2020 and the beginning of February 2021.

He had thrown pipe bombs out of the window of his apartment in Berlin-Schöneberg or detonated them in the inner courtyard of the apartment building.

In one case, a remote-controlled explosive device attached to a traffic sign slightly injured a pedestrian in the thigh.

The panes of a child's room window shattered.

When the teacher was arrested, the police also seized 14 other explosive devices and incendiary devices in his apartment and in a motor scooter.

"Enthusiasm for pyrotechnics"

The defendant said at the start of the trial two weeks ago that he was shocked by his actions and apologized. He acted out of enthusiasm for pyrotechnics. He also tried to compensate for internal conflicts and excessive professional demands. It was not about hurting people or destroying things, said the teacher. At that time he had "fooled himself into control" and completely ignored the danger.

The prosecutor had asked for four years in prison.

He does not believe that the defendant was only interested in pyrotechnics, the prosecution said.

"I think he already planned to give people a real scare." In terms of the sentence, however, it should be taken into account that the 30-year-old was in a difficult professional situation with a considerable workload. 

The defense lawyer pleaded for a suspended sentence.

His client is a "stumbled man who has to give up his professional career," said the lawyer.

The 30-year-old with no criminal record had been disinhibited in the acts by alcohol and drugs.

"It was all about the bang and the lightning, at no time did he intend to endanger people." 

After around eight months of pre-trial detention, the defendant was initially released against reporting requirements.

The verdict is not yet legally binding.