Danish man faces trial over fatal punch at football event

A 31-year-old Danish citizen is due to stand trial over a punch that left a 32-year-old Swedish man dead three days later, DR reports. The alleged assault took place at a public screening of a football World Cup match on Islands Brygge in the summer.

The defendant is accused of striking the Swedish man once on the left side of his head or neck. The blow was so forceful that an artery ruptured, according to the report. He is charged under Denmark’s less serious assault provision, though the sentence could be increased because of repeat offending.

He is also accused of throwing two beer cans towards a group that included the Swedish man. Another person was hit. The defendant’s lawyer, Thomas Brædder, declined to comment on how his client responds to the charges.

The defendant is subject to a court order preventing publication of his name. He was previously sentenced to seven years in prison for attempted murder with a knife. Last Friday, he received a three-month unconditional prison sentence for assaulting another inmate at Nyborg Prison in 2022. The victim suffered a concussion and broken nose and rib. Two other people took part in that assault.

The case has prompted debate in Denmark because the victim died but the defendant faces a charge under the less serious assault provision. Under current law, a charge of assault resulting in death requires an assault covered by the provisions on aggravated violence. The government has said it plans to increase penalties under the less serious provision when the victim dies and the offender has previously committed a violent crime. The proposed change is included in the government’s legislative programme for 2026-27.