German court acquits teen over killing of police officer

A 19-year-old man on trial for killing an officer during a police chase in Germany last year was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges on Wednesday, with the court ruling that he lacked criminal responsibility due to a mental illness.

The ruling came as a surprise to many in the Saarbrücken courtroom, after the prosecution had called for a juvenile sentence of 13 years alongside placement in a psychiatric clinic.

The 19-year-old fired six shots at a 34-year-old police officer to conceal his involvement in a robbery in the town of Völklingen near the French border on August 21 last year.

The officer who was killed had been pursuing the suspected robber on foot with colleagues. A struggle ensued in which the fugitive managed to grab the service weapon of another officer and shot the 34-year-old several times.

Police also shot and injured the attacker before they were able to apprehend him.

Judge Jennifer Klingelhöfer convicted the defendant of aggravated robbery and ordered him to be placed in a forensic psychiatric hospital for an indefinite period, after a court-appointed expert had previously determined that the young man was suffering from schizophrenia.

The man confessed to fatally shooting the police officer during the trial.

"His ability to control his actions was significantly impaired during the robbery," the judge said while handing down the ruling, noting that the defendant was aware the robbery had been a mistake.

She said that "fear had taken over his thinking" during the police chase as a result of his illness.

"The defendant will require lifelong treatment," she said.

The case has drawn widespread media attention in Germany, where shootings of this kind are comparatively rare.

Some present in court on Wednesday reacted with outrage to the ruling, loudly describing it as a "scandal" and asking for the reading of the verdict to be interrupted.

The verdict can still be appealed.