Suspect in Dutch girl's stabbing in Sweden ordered into custody; Doesn't recall incident
The district court in Gothenburg ordered a 36-year-old man to remain behind bars on allegations that he stabbed a 10-year-old Dutch girl and her grandmother in the Swedish city during a holiday visit. The hearing on Friday afternoon was held a day after the apparently random attack in Brunnsparken, a particularly busy area in the city center. The suspect said he could not remember what happened.
Police said that they could not find a connection between the man and the victims prior to the incident. It appeared the man used two knives which were stolen shortly before the violent crime. Two knives were also found at the scene, after passers-by tackled the suspect and held him down until police arrived minutes later.
The suspect was brought up on one charge of attempted murder for stabbing the girl, who suffered serious injuries as a result. Police said that she suffered stomach wounds and was rushed to a children's hospital. Her condition was later stabilized, though her injuries were still considered to be significant. Investigators have not been able to interview her about the incident, according to the prosecutor. The grandmother, who is a Swedish citizen, mainly suffered defense wounds on her arms as she tried to protect the child. She was very shocked by what had happened, authorities stated. The prosecutor also accused the man of aggravated assault for attacking the woman.
Local newspaper Göteborgs-Posten said that the suspect kept his head hidden with a white sheet when he entered the courtroom, but took it off before the hearing started. The prosecutor in the case, Moa Widjer, asked the court to approve his arrest and detention during the hearing. He did not speak during the hearing. His attorney said the man could not admit guilt, but also did not deny carrying out the stabbing.
The court ordered that the man to undergo a forensic psychiatric examination to assess his mental state. He was remanded into custody, and will remain in custody for the time being, the court said.
After the hearing, Widjer told reporters that the suspect claims to have no memory of the incident. He was unable to provide a motive, or to say what led to the stabbing.
An investigation carried out by the Probation Service there determined that the man has, in the past, "experienced drug-induced psychosis during recurring periods," according to a review of documents by Göteborgs-Posten. Several media outlets in Sweden reported that the man has been convicted of multiple criminal acts in the past, most recently in November. He was accused of shoplifting electronics from a store in the city, and was sentenced to probation.
His most serious conviction was the theft of watches worth over 150,000 euros from a retailer in 2015. He was sentenced to three years in prison for that crime. He was also convicted of assault and drug offences in the past, the newspaper said.
