File---File picture taken Feb.24, 2020 shows police and rescue workers standing next to the scene of the accident with a car that is said to have crashed into a carnival parade in Volkmarsen, central Germany, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. Several people have been injured, according to the police. The driver was sentenced to life. (Uwe Zucchi/dpa via AP, file)
Republished December 16, 2021 - 3:26 AM
Original Publication Date December 16, 2021 - 2:36 AM
BERLIN (AP) — A court in Germany convicted a 31-year-old man Thursday of 89 counts of attempted murder for driving his car into a crowd celebrating Carnival last year.
A regional court in the central town of Kassel sentenced the German man, whose name wasn't released for privacy reasons, to life in prison.
The defendant drove his car through a crowd of people, including 26 children, who were watching the traditional “Rose Monday" procession in the town of Volkmarsen.
Nobody was killed, but 90 people were injured, including 20 who needed hospitalization.
Prosecutors accused the man of planning the attack in advance and installing a dashboard camera in order to record it. He refused to testify during his trial.
Judges ruled that the defendant, who was also convicted of 88 counts of serious bodily harm, bore “particularly grave responsibility” for the attack, meaning he will not be entitled to automatic parole after 15 years, as is customary in Germany.
News from © The Associated Press, 2021