Trial begins in Oodi Library stabbing case

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Prosecutors and the defence team are painting different versions of events in the toilets in February, which resulted in a lawyer being stabbed but now admitting drugs charges.

Trial begins in Oodi Library stabbing case

The trial begins today at Helsinki District Court of a man and woman accused of stabbing and robbing a man in the toilets at Oodi Central Library.

The incident took place in February and the victim, a lawyer, was taken to hospital for his stab wounds but they were not life threatening.

A 25-year old woman is accused of aggravated robbery and a 44-year old man is charged with aggravated robbery and attempted homicide. The victim, aged under 30, is accused of a drugs offense. Prosecutors are calling for up to six years in prison for the man, and three years for the woman.

Prosecutors say the accused couple went to buy a mobile phone from the lawyer in the toilets at Oodi and the situation escalated when the lawyer demanded to see the money the couple had promised him for the phone.

The defence says the couple went to buy drugs from the lawyer, and they were defending themselves with the knife.

The lawyer was found with a quantity Ksalol tablets and Subutex on him, and he admits the drug possession charge.

Prosecutors say the male suspect stabbed the lawyer in the upper thigh and torso, and then the female suspect robbed the lawyer of his identity card, some cash and a small quantity of Subutex. The lawyer was able to alert guards at Oodi by pulling the emergency cord in the toilet.

At the time of the incident, the male suspect was out on parole from prison for a previous homicide conviction.

Source: newsnowfinland.fi