A good six years after the death of a 13-year-old during rowing training, a judgment could now be made. Are the two trainers guilty of drowning the boy in Lake Starnberg?
Starnberg – In the process of the fatal accident of a 13-year-old during rowing training on Lake Starnberg, the prosecution has demanded fines.
The public prosecutor’s office proposed fines of 70 and 50 daily rates, respectively, for the boy’s two coaches, who are accused of negligent homicide by omission, on Monday in front of the Starnberg district court. The secondary prosecution criticized this, however, as inappropriate and too low.
The 13-year-old was “all alone” on the day of the accident when he rowed out onto the lake, said the attorney for the accessory prosecution. He was all alone when he got into the water and noticed how cold and deadly it was and in the “desperate struggle to get back into the boat”. “And he was alone, great judgment, when he finally had to give up and drowned.”
The death of a child is always a tragedy, said the lawyer, but in this case it was not fate but was based on decisions of the accused. They had violated several duties of care and acted sloppily.
The public prosecutor’s office had also accused the defendants of breaches of duty of care. Had they not left the boy alone, he could not have drowned. With the required fines, which mean sums of 7,000 and 25,000 euros, respectively, it is only about half of the monetary requirements paid when the proceedings were originally closed.
The 13-year-old drowned on April 19, 2015 during rowing training in the cold water of Lake Starnberg. His body was not found until days later. The two supervisors of the rowing group are accused.
The dead boy’s parents fought for a criminal trial for years. The public prosecutor’s office had originally indicted the matter at the Munich II regional court, which was then referred to the local court. There the trial against monetary restrictions was discontinued. The Munich II public prosecutor’s office and the accessory prosecution filed a complaint. The Munich II regional court then overturned the termination decision, which is why a decision must now be made in Starnberg. dpa
