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CRIME

Winnenden father found guilty of manslaughter

Nearly two years after a deadly school rampage in the southern German town of Winnenden, the father of the shooter was given a suspended sentence of one year and nine months because he failed to keep the gun used in the killings locked away.

Winnenden father found guilty of manslaughter
Photo: DPA

The 52-year-old Jörg Kretschmer was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, bodily harm caused by negligence, and the negligent abandonment of a weapon.

The prosecution told the Stuttgart court that Kretschmer had failed to prevent his son Tim gaining access to the licensed weapon and its ammunition. The 17-year-old took the gun from his parents’ bedroom in March 2009 and killed 15 people at his former school, before committing suicide.

While some of the 43 joint plaintiffs called for a prison sentence of up to three years, state prosecutors demanded a two-year suspended sentence for the combined 28 counts of involuntary manslaughter and bodily harm caused by negligence, as well as violation of laws about storing guns.

The defence had called for their client to be acquitted on the grounds that he had already been punished enough by the situation. Kretschmer’s lawyer said afterwards he would appeal the decision, on the grounds that the Stuttgart court had previously reached another verdict on negligence with weapons.

Speaking before the court’s verdict, Hardy Schober, spokesman for the anti-gun lobby group Amoklauf Winnenden, said, “Even if it’s just for a quarter of a year, he must go to jail.” Schober lost his daughter in the massacre.

Afterwards, some of the relatives expressed disappointment with the severity of the sentence, though Schober said it was what he had expected. The mother of one of the teenagers killed said she could accept the verdict.

“The extent of the sentence is secondary,” said Jens Rabe, a lawyer for the joint plaintiffs. He said it was more important that the court send out a clear signal by sentencing Tim’s father for manslaughter, and not just for contravening gun laws.

Appearing in court last week, Kretschmer apologized and expressed his sympathy to the relatives of those killed. “I feel responsible for my son and for the mistakes I made,” he said.

DAPD/The Local/bk

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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