In the absence of evidence the four policemen who had been accused of assault causing death were acquitted by the Hajdú-Bihar County Court on Tuesday.
In May 2007 a drug dealer was escaping from policemen. He jumped out of the window of a third-floor apartment but was soon caught on the street and handcuffed by the policemen. Soon after this he died of a fractured skull.
The report of the Medical Research Council revealed that the fall from the third floor could not cause a fatal injury. The defender of the plaintiff believed the injury was caused by intentional abuse while the former police commander said it must be the result of an unfortunate fall that occurred when the policemen brought down the drug dealer.
The additional medical expert opinion heard on Tuesday confirmed that the fatal head injuries were inflicted during handcuffing. The court held that one of the policemen caused the injuries intentionally with his knees but which of the four did it could not be ascertained. Therefore in the absence of evidence the court acquitted the defendants. The victim’s lawyer has appealed against the sentence.
