Niš woman who stabbed former dean will receive treatment, not prison

In a significant turn of events, a 70-year-old woman from Niš, identified as S.C., who was accused of stabbing former dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Natalija Jovanović, and three other protest participants, will not serve a prison sentence. Instead, she is to receive treatment in a psychiatric facility, Nova.rs has learned.

The Higher Court in Niš had initially sentenced S.C. to one year and four months in prison and a fine of 50,000 dinars for violent conduct. However, this sentence was later overturned by the Court of Appeal following a review of the defense's appeal. The appellate court ordered a new psychiatric evaluation, which concluded that the defendant was in a state of significantly reduced responsibility due to psychotic decompensation, leading to the decision for mandatory psychiatric care.

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I apologize to Natalija Jovanović for what I did to her and to my family because I endangered them too. All of this happened because I was watching 'Informer' television. I saw Natalija holding two eggs in her hand to throw at someone. They were talking badly about what was happening in our city on that television. All of this caused me stress, especially since my children and grandchildren were attending those rallies in Niš and Belgrade. I felt like they were against me, which is why I was poisoning myself.

During the proceedings, the defense and prosecution debated the defendant's mental state. The latest psychiatric assessment, conducted by a medical board at the Faculty of Medicine in Niš, found that S.C. was unaware of her actions and their consequences, deeming her criminally irresponsible. This finding was accepted by the Higher Court, allowing her to avoid jail time. Both the prosecution and defense have the right to appeal this decision, but the Court of Appeal must now make a final ruling.

Recalling the incident, S.C. had attacked Jovanović with a knife on her right hand and thrown a can of vegetables at other participants before a protest titled 'Under the Magnifying Glass of Science.' She explained to the court that her actions were influenced by media reports, specifically citing the 'Informer' television channel, which she claimed negatively portrayed events in their city. She expressed remorse, apologizing to Jovanović and her family, stating that the constant stress from following the news and her concern for her children and grandchildren attending rallies led to her actions.

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Throughout the entire process, there were debates about the defendant's sanity. Due to doubts about her complete lack of sanity, the Court of Appeal ordered a new evaluation, which resulted in a different decision by the Higher Court, namely that instead of a prison sentence, a measure of mandatory care and treatment in a psychiatric institution was imposed.