The German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) has rejected appeals against the verdict issued by the Stendal Regional Court on February 27, 2024, concerning Stephan B., the perpetrator of the Halle attack. The court announced its decision on Tuesday, May 15, 2024 (reference: 6 StR 349/24).
The Stendal Regional Court had previously sentenced Stephan B. to seven years imprisonment for hostage-taking, in conjunction with the unlawful manufacture and possession of a firearm. The court also recognized claims for pain and suffering and damages, from the victims.
The incident occurred on December 12, 2022, when Stephan B., already serving a life sentence for murder and other offenses in the Burg Correctional Facility, attempted to escape. During the escape attempt, he took two correctional officers hostage. After releasing one officer, the other managed to escape during a thwarted further attempt to flee from the facility, at which point the perpetrator abandoned his plan.
The prosecution’s appeal, which challenged the lack of an order for preventive detention (Sicherungsverwahrung), was deemed unsubstantiated. The Regional Court had reasoned that the public’s need for preventive measures was sufficiently addressed by the previous ruling of the Naumburg Higher Regional Court. The defendant’s appeal regarding the adhesion decision was also dismissed, with the exception of a minor formal amendment. Consequently, the verdict is now legally binding.