Pirkanmaa District Court has sentenced two teenagers to prison for the attempted murder of a jogger in the Kauppi forested area of Tampere last September.
The 18-year-old defendant, who was 17-years-old at the time, was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the knife attack, while his then-16-year-old accomplice faces a term of six-and-a-half years.
The court heard that the teenagers planned the attack in advance but the victim was chosen at random, and that one of the defendants uploaded a video to the popular social media app Snapchat about their violent crime spree shortly after the incident.
The court also convicted the older defendant of attempted robbery and making illegal threats, while the younger teen was convicted of a drug offence. The court dismissed a charge of attempted robbery, however.
The convicted teenagers were ordered to jointly pay compensation to the victim for pain, suffering, loss of earnings and legal costs totalling just under 30,000 euros. In addition, the parents of the teenagers were ordered to pay the victim about 7,000 euros in compensation.
Act was "premeditated"
The court ruled that the act was considered to be attempted murder because the two defendants acquired a knife the day before the attack, which showed premeditation, and they continued to stab the victim while he was on the ground.
Police also found evidence during the pre-trial investigation that in the days leading up to the attack, the older defendant searched the internet for terms including: homicides, the Kauppi forest (the location of the attack), young killers, and current prison conditions.
"The plan was so detailed that it demonstrates sound consideration. This steady deliberation is also supported by the fact that they were equipped with a weapon," the court's ruling said.
The older defendant had tried to rob a documentary film crew in the area on the day, as well as threatening a woman pushing a pram through the forested area.
He also uploaded a video to Snapchat shortly after the attack, which showed a person walking along a forest path with a knife in their hand. Someone, apparently the person filming, could be heard saying that they had just tried to rob "about five people".
"Then I stabbed someone four or five times and oh well, attempted murder and attempted robbery, going to jail for this," the male voice can be heard saying. "You guys can come say hello to me there."
The court's decision is not final, as the defendants each have a right to file for appeal.