Court halves sentence for assault in Ishøj

Two young men convicted of a brutal assault at a food establishment in Ishøj have seen their prison sentences halved by the Eastern High Court. The court reduced their sentences from two years and six months, as initially imposed by the Glostrup Court last autumn, to one year and three months each.

The significant reduction stems from the High Court's decision to remove the gang-related paragraph from the case. The defense for one of the men, lawyer Thomas Brædder, described the initial city court ruling as "concerning" because the required proof of group affiliation and conflict was not met.

The High Court determined there was insufficient evidence to prove the assault, which occurred on December 6, 2024, at VBG Bagel and Pasta, was part of a conflict between criminal factions. The city court's differing conclusion appears to have stemmed from a misunderstanding, as an experienced police gang specialist testified in the High Court that his explanation was not accurately represented.

According to the specialist, the city court incorrectly noted that the two defendants were affiliated with the LTF gang at the time of the offense. In reality, the men were part of a group with prior LTF connections, not direct members at the time. The specialist, a consultant in the intelligence and analysis unit of the Copenhagen West Area Police, clarified that an internal police intelligence update, which labeled the group "local young criminals," did not definitively establish it as an organized group like the Bandidos or LTF.

The High Court's judgment stated that the intelligence update represented the police's working hypotheses and that its conclusions could not be upheld. Consequently, the two young men were acquitted of the gang-related charges, leading to the halving of their sentences.

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It was a concerning decision in the city court, because the proof requirement about groups and a conflict was not met.