A 14-year-old boy was seriously injured in a stabbing incident in Vieselbach, a suburb of Erfurt, on the previous Sunday evening. According to police reports, the violence occurred at a bus stop after two teenagers got into a fight. Both teenagers were injured, with the 16-year-old suspect sustaining only minor injuries and being arrested by the police nearby.
A rescue helicopter was called to the scene and the 14-year-old was taken to a hospital where he required emergency surgery.
The motive behind the fight is still unclear and the 16-year-old suspect was released from custody pending further investigations. The police have not released any information about the teenagers involved.
The incident has sparked a debate about the age of criminal responsibility in Germany. After a fatal altercation in Stuttgart, in which a 13-year-old boy pushed a 12-year-old in front of a tram, the Baden-Württemberg Justice Minister, Marion Gentges, has called for a reevaluation of the age of criminal responsibility for minors under 14.
Gentges, a CDU politician, stated that the current age of criminal responsibility, set at 14 in 1923, may need to be reevaluated based on scientific evidence. She suggested that the state should be able to address younger children, even against their parents’ will, if necessary. Gentges has already made a proposal to her fellow ministers in the federal states, but it was unsuccessful. She now plans to make a new attempt.
According to her ministry, the number of suspects under the age of 14 has increased significantly over the past decade, leaving the justice system without a means of addressing these cases, as it is not allowed to investigate minors who have not yet reached the age of criminal responsibility.