Düsseldorf New Year's Eve stabbing: Two men sentenced to juvenile prison

Two young men have been sentenced to multi-year juvenile prison terms for a violent stabbing attack in Düsseldorf's old town on New Year's Eve. The Mönchengladbach Regional Court found both defendants guilty of attempted manslaughter.

An 18-year-old was sentenced to three years and eight months in juvenile detention, while a 20-year-old received three years in juvenile detention. A 19-year-old co-defendant was given a two-year suspended sentence for assault and ordered to pay 1,500 euros to a charitable organization.

The court determined that the two main perpetrators acted with intent and exhibited "harmful tendencies." Presiding Judge Martin Alberring questioned the motive, asking, "Who goes into the old town with a knife and stabs someone multiple times without any justifying necessity?" The court was convinced that the 18-year-old had inflicted life-threatening stab wounds on a 24-year-old man in the early hours of New Year's Day. The 20-year-old, according to the verdict, repeatedly kicked the head of the victim's companion, who was on the ground.

CCTV footage and recordings from a taxi driver documented the assault. The defendants, who are from Hückelhoven, confessed to their involvement in the attack but denied any intent to kill. The prosecution had sought juvenile prison sentences of four and a half years and three and a half years, respectively, for the two main defendants. The verdicts are not yet legally binding.

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Who goes into the old town with a knife and stabs someone multiple times without any justifying necessity?