Federal Court of Justice: Trial against teacher attackers will be renegotiated!

Federal Court of Justice: Trial against teacher attackers will be renegotiated!

The case surrounding the attack on a teacher at the Sägefeldschule in Ulm-Wiblingen takes a dramatic turn. The Federal Court of Justice has decided that the conviction of a 23-year-old for aiding and abetting grievous bodily harm must be retried. A few days ago, the original verdict, which stipulated a suspended sentence of 18 months and the payment of 5,000 euros in compensation, was overturned, as [SWR] reports.

The trial of the alleged attacker is now continuing at the Ulm regional court. The evidence that led to a conviction in the original trial was considered thin. During the trial it emerged that it remained unclear whether the defendant actually brandished the baseball bat with which the teacher was attacked. The presiding judge, Wolfgang Tresenreiter, noted that it cannot be determined with certainty who carried out the blows. Witnesses reported that the defendant was acting as a driver for an unknown perpetrator, based on cell phone data and witness statements, as [Schwäbische] describes in detail.

Background and consequences

The teacher, himself a victim of the attack, was not fit to stand trial at the time and his health limitations were serious. After he was attacked, he ended up in a wheelchair and suffered from neuropsychological consequences. The incident led to explosive revelations about the teacher's relationship with his students, including possession of nude photos of at least 23 former students. A police officer testified about this information at the trial. These circumstances could be the motive for the defendant's attack, as the prosecution suspected that it was an act of revenge.

In the current discussion about violence in schools, it is clear that such incidents are by no means isolated. According to statistics, almost 50% of teachers in Germany observe violence among students. In 2023, physical injuries were among the most common crimes among young people. Socially disadvantaged schools are particularly affected, where the proportion of teachers who perceive violence as a problem is almost 70%. A third of the children and young people surveyed do not feel safe in their school. These alarming figures show how important preventive measures are to counteract violence in schools and prove that the issue needs to be given more attention not only in the media, but also in education, as [Statista] notes.

While the defendant is now on probation for three years, he is prohibited from committing any further crimes during this time. The case will continue to make waves and the topic of violence in schools will probably have to be discussed in public for a long time. It remains to be seen how the Ulm Regional Court will decide on the renegotiation and what impact this will have on the school family and the students affected.