Appeals court increases sentence in Tampere axe assault

Turku Court of Appeal has increased a 28-year-old man’s prison sentence for an assault in Tampere after finding that he hit the victim in the face with an axe, Yle reports.

The man was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison for aggravated assault, six months longer than the sentence imposed by Pirkanmaa District Court. The assault took place on 24 August 2025 at Keskustori, a central square in Tampere, and was recorded by surveillance cameras.

The man first slapped the victim, a stranger, in the face. After the victim tried to leave, he punched him, knocking him to the ground, and kicked him forcefully in the head while he was unable to defend himself. The attacker fled but was arrested about 10 minutes later.

Witnesses said the man had an axe and threatened the victim with it. They did not see him strike with the axe. However, the Court of Appeal said video footage showed the man take an object from behind his back at waist level and swing it towards the victim’s face. The man admitted carrying a camping axe at his waist or in a pocket.

The court said the footage and the victim’s injuries supported the claim that he had been hit with the axe. It found that the cut-like injuries to the victim’s face were unlikely to have been caused by his fall or the kick, and concluded that there was no reasonable doubt that the axe had been used.

The sentence is not final. The man may seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. He has been convicted of 62 offences between 2014 and 2025, most of them minor offences such as shoplifting.