The State Attorney's Office in Zlatar has filed charges against a 24-year-old from Stubičke Toplice for attempted serious bodily injury and threat. The attack, according to the indictment, occurred on 26 February this year at around 2am in a house in Oroslavje.
The physical altercation was preceded by drinking. The group had been visiting establishments in Stubičke Toplice and Oroslav throughout the evening, before gathering at a house in Oroslav. One witness stated that there was a lot of alcohol in the house, and a verbal altercation broke out between the two young men.
The victim stated in his statement that the 24-year-old first physically attacked him in the living room, striking him on the head with a glass bottle. The altercation then moved to the bathroom, where, according to the statement, the attacker repeatedly struck the victim's head and neck with his hands, causing the victim to fall into the bath. The indictment states that the 24-year-old then returned from the living room with an LCD television and threw it at the young man while he was lying in the bath.
One of the friends present tried to separate the combatants and prevent further violence. He recounted that at one point he had to physically drag the attacker out of the bathroom because he continued to try to assault the injured man. The victim told the police that he took the threat seriously and feared for his life and health after the incident.
A second witness, who was in the house for a short time, left before the physical altercation and stated that there was no fighting during his stay. A third witness, who spent most of the evening with the group, described how the verbal altercation escalated into physical violence. He confirmed that the 24-year-old struck the victim on the head with a bottle of vodka, after which the victim began to bleed. According to his statement, the attacker then took him to the bathroom and continued to punch him on the head and neck. The same witness also said that he tried to protect the victim and dragged the attacker out of the bathroom, adding that the victim remained lying in the bath with a cut above his forehead.
The victim suffered bruising and abrasions on the fronto-parietal area of the head, as well as abrasions on the face and both hands. Forensic medical examination established that such injuries correspond to the described physical altercation, and the report notes that the head injury could have been caused by a punch or an object. According to the victim's statement, a television, toilet, bidet, and washbasin were broken in the house after the altercation.
The prosecution considers that the manner of the attack, repeated blows to the head and neck, and the continuation of violence while the victim was lying in the bath, indicate an intention to cause serious bodily injury. The indictment's reasoning states that the fact that the injuries were ultimately minor does not exclude the existence of attempted serious injury. The State Attorney's Office proposes a single prison sentence of one year and two months for the 24-year-old, with a partially suspended sentence. It is also proposed to extend protective measures, including a ban on approaching the victim to within less than 100 metres and a ban on any contact with him.
