Hammer attacker sentenced for hate crime

Man who attacked trans-woman is given a 15-month sentence

The 21-year-old man who attacked 48-year-old trans-woman Cecilie Mundt with a hammer near Town Hall Square in June was sentenced to 15 months in prison by the Copenhagen City Court today. 

 

The court did not buy the defendant's claim that he attacked Mundt because she addressed him with a racial slur. Instead, the court found that the attack was motivated by Mundt's transsexuality, thus qualifying it as a hate crime. 

 

The man was convicted of the crime in September, marking the first time in Danish history that a hate crime conviction was handed down for an attack on a transgender person. 

 

READ MORE: Hammer attack leads to rare hate crime conviction

 

The delay between the verdict and the sentencing was due to the assailant undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. The examination revealed that the man was competent enough to receive a regular criminal sentence.

 

In addition to the prison time, the man is required to pay 29,000 kroner in compensation to Mundt, who says she suffers a wide range of problems caused by the attack. 

 

The verdict comes at a time in which two other sexuality-based hate crimes were committed within a span of six days. 

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