A teenager has been sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder in connection with a stabbing incident in Nurmijärvi in May. The Eastern Uusimaa District Court found the 17-year-old guilty of attempting to kill a man and classified the act as a crime committed by a minor.
Published: 17/07/25 | 13:04
According to findings by the court the teenager stabbed the victim once in the back and attempted to stab him two more times in the upper body. The attack occurred during daylight hours in a public park in Nurmijärvi.
The teen admitted to striking the man with a knife but denied that his actions amounted to anything more than an assault.
While the court did not conclude that the teenager had the direct intent to kill, it determined that he must have understood there was a strong likelihood his actions could have resulted in the victim’s death.
The victim, who is a municipal councilor, stated he had been eating lunch in the park and was leaving when the boy approached him and asked him to come closer. He responded politely that he was heading to a meeting and couldn’t stay.
He recalled the teen walking calmly toward him and when the boy got within two meters the man noticed he had a knife. He said he felt a sudden blow that caused him to scream and ran while calling emergency services. He headed toward the municipal office building where help arrived.
The teen however claimed that the man had verbally insulted him with a racial slur after refusing his request. He said this made him angry and that his intention was only to scare the man.
The victim denied making any such comment and described the accusation as baseless and contrary to his values.
The court determined the victim’s version of events was credible and aligned with both physical evidence and a witness statement. In contrast, parts of the defendant’s story did not hold up under scrutiny.
Though there was no proof the boy had planned to kill the man, the court ruled that he must have been aware that his actions could very likely lead to death.
The court emphasized that the crime was classified as attempted murder mainly because the victim managed to flee and the wounds, while serious, did not harm any major organs or arteries.
“It was purely by chance that among the three attempted stab wounds only one caused a deep bleeding injury near the right side of the victim’s back and that injury was not life-threatening,” the court ruling stated.
As the offender is a minor, his identity has been withheld. The ruling is not yet legally binding.
