The case of a staff member accused of abusing detainees at the juvenile detention facility in Debrecen will continue with a full court trial after the defendant denied guilt at a preparatory hearing held on Thursday at the Debrecen District Court and requested a trial.
According to a statement by spokesperson Dénes Dobó of the Debrecen Regional Court, the man has been charged by the prosecution with multiple counts of abuse committed in the course of official duties by a person performing a public function.
The indictment states that the defendant worked as an educator in the section of the Debrecen Juvenile Detention Facility housing remand detainees. In June 2024, he allegedly struck a juvenile detainee on the back with an open palm on the facility’s first floor because the minor had entered and passed through staff-only areas without permission.
Later that day, he reportedly lined up young detainees for showering in the intake unit. When one of them asked him a question, the defendant allegedly stepped up to the boy and hit him on the neck with his palm. The following day, during a clothing-folding task, he allegedly assaulted two other detainees during inspection, punching them in the ribs. None of the victims sustained injuries, the spokesperson said.
It was added that under Hungarian law, an educator working in such a facility is considered a person performing a public function.
According to the indictment, the man’s public employment was terminated with immediate effect following the alleged offences.
(MTI)
