Because they are said to have attacked a group of revelers, four young men are now standing before the Berlin Regional Court. At the beginning of the trial on Tuesday, one of the accused admitted to hitting an opponent with a hatchet during the nightly argument.

He “wanted to scare, but not hurt,” explained the 21-year-old main defendant. It was an “overreaction”. In his case, the charges include attempted manslaughter.

The alleged attack occurred on the night of July 31, 2021 in Berlin-Steglitz. First, the main defendant is said to have approached a man of the same age and asked for a cigarette. Because he did not comply with the request, he slapped the man.

When his companions came to the attacked man’s help, the three other accused aged 20 and 21 also took part in the fight. You are charged with dangerous bodily harm.

In the scuffle, the main defendant is said to have finally pulled an ax out of his shoulder bag and hit it in the direction of the head of the opponent of the same age. However, the attacked person noticed the backswing and was able to avoid it. “The ax missed his head by only a few centimeters,” the indictment says.

However, the man had previously suffered an injury to his upper lip from the beating. Two of his companions, with whom he celebrated a birthday, were also slightly injured.

The main defendant further said that he could not explain his behavior. “The whole thing was unnecessary, I lost control,” said the 21-year-old. He had found the ax in a bush shortly before. He was drunk.