It was in the afternoon of March 30 that police were alerted to a school in Kortedala, after a boy was stabbed in the neck and was bleeding. Despite intensive rescue efforts already in the schoolyard, the boy died in hospital two days later.

Robbery preceded the murder

According to witness statements, a 14-year-old suspect (then 13 years old) was soon arrested in his home. According to his lawyer, the victim, together with a small party, robbed and humiliated the suspect before the knife was cut.

Since the suspect was under fifteen years of age, the so-called age of criminal responsibility, he could not be sentenced to any punishment. The most common is then that the social services are allowed to take over the case at an early stage. But in this case, the social services in eastern Gothenburg wanted a trial in court. It was considered important to have the debt issue properly investigated, especially as the boy had long denied having anything to do with the knife cutting.

Like a trial

That is why District Attorney Mats Ihlbom brought a so-called evidentiary action. One of these is comparable to an ordinary trial in the district court, the only difference is really that no sentence is imposed.

The suspicions were primarily murder, secondly extremely aggravated assault and causing another person's death. The prosecutor had a seemingly solid technical evidence and witness statements to lean on.

But the Gothenburg District Court thus comes to the conclusion that the 14-year-old admittedly stabbed the 12-year-old, but that this happened in an emergency situation. The court further finds that the fatal stabbing was clearly unjustifiable, and that the 14-year-old used more force than is permitted under the provisions on self-defense. But that according to the provision on emergency defense excess, it can be excusable if the circumstances made it difficult for the 14-year-old to come to his senses.