Teenage boy accused of racially motivated stabbing in Finland requests mental state examination

A 15-year-old boy who stabbed a 26-year-old Asian worker in the Valkea shopping center in Oulu, Finland in June wants a mental state examination. The boy’s defense has submitted a request to this effect to the court, which is expected to be discussed in the Oulu District Court session starting at 3 pm on Thursday. The boy will not be participating in this session. The court is expected to make a decision on this matter on Thursday.

A mental state examination determines whether the suspected perpetrator understood the consequences and causes of their actions. The result of the examination could influence whether the perpetrator can be sentenced to imprisonment, and the length of the sentence. If the perpetrator is found to be criminally irresponsible, meaning they did not understand their actions, they avoid criminal responsibility. Typically, a non-responsible perpetrator is committed to involuntary hospital treatment.

The 15-year-old teenager unexpectedly stabbed the 26-year-old Asian restaurant worker several times in the Valkea shopping center on June 18, as the worker was on his way home from work. The boy, who is suspected of attempted murder, stated in police interrogations that the motive for the act was racist.

The police suspect that the boy copied the act from far-right activist Sebastian Lämsä, who earlier in June, in the same shopping center, stabbed a 12-year-old child and chased another slightly older youth with a knife. Lämsä is suspected of attempted murders and the court has already previously sent him for a mental state examination.