Bonn (dpa / lnw) - They are said to have searched for their victims on a gay dating platform and then brutally attacked them: A trial against three young men began on Friday in front of the Bonn district court for, among other things, dangerous bodily harm and aggravated robbery.
The accused - two are 18, one is 19 years old - are said to have pretended to be looking for sex partners via the platform. When a 42-year-old came to the agreed meeting point, the accused threatened him with a knife and hit him on the head with a wooden pole. In a second case, they are said to have knocked a 44-year-old unconscious with an object. According to the indictment, they stole the seriously injured cell phone and wallet and left him - the man suffered a traumatic brain injury and has been in need of care ever since.
One of the accused admitted the allegations on the first day of the trial, but denied that the victims were specifically sought on the gay platform. It was a coincidence that the victims were homosexuals, he said.
As members of a youth gang, the accused are said to have beaten up people in the old town of Bonn on several occasions without reason. Overall, it is about aggravated robbery and dangerous bodily harm in six cases. The 19-year-old is charged with one of the acts of attempted manslaughter. In January, a 23-year-old was beaten to the ground by a total of seven perpetrators. The 19-year-old is said to have stabbed the victim with a knife. A further six days of negotiations are scheduled for the process until the end of September.
