Court hearing underway for street robbery case involving 16-year-old in Kuopio, Finland

The handling of a street robbery case in Kuopio continues on Wednesday at the North Savo District Court. According to the prosecutor, a 16-year-old boy attacked a 14-year-old boy he did not know. The older boy headbutted the younger one in the face. The incident occurred last August at the victim’s school in Kuopio.

Following the assault, the 16-year-old threatened to stab the younger boy and also warned that he would have “a street gang beat and stab” him. These threats were relayed to the victim’s acquaintances, who were instructed to pass the message on to him. The accused has admitted to assaulting and making illegal threats as a minor.

The prosecutor has stated that the violence was dangerous because it was directed at the victim’s head. The prosecutor wants the related cases to be handled together. A base sentence was set to be imposed for a serious assault dealt with on Monday. The prosecutor is seeking a combined custodial sentence for the boy along with the other pending matters.

In addition, the court is addressing two other robberies involving the same individual. The first robbery occurred in August 2023 when the 16-year-old attacked a 13-year-old boy on the street, pushing him against a wall and stealing his bag and sunglasses. The stolen items were later returned by another person.

The second incident occurred about a month later when the older boy attacked the younger one again in front of a cinema in central Kuopio, using violence to take the 13-year-old’s bag and belt, which were also recovered afterwards. The accused denies both robbery charges, claiming the incidents were minor assault and petty theft, which he admits to, stating he returned the stolen property voluntarily through someone else. The case is ongoing.