Horses ran amok at Djurgården – here is the verdict

A man in his 70s died after being run over by runaway horses at Djurgården.

Now the judgment falls against the horse owner.

Exactly why the horses tore and ran across Djurgården last summer is still a mystery.

During an arranged ride, the horses were tied up outside the restaurant Ulla Winbladh, while the riders took a break to eat a late lunch. Just minutes later, the horses panicked. They tore and ran in different directions in central Stockholm.

People had to throw themselves to the side to get away. Several were injured in the scuffle, and a 70-year-old man was hit so badly that he suffered severe brain damage.

– It was really horrible, I have never seen so much blood everywhere, said Julia, who was there when it happened.

Later that day, the 55-year-old horse owner who led the ride and was responsible for the horses was arrested.

Died of the injuries

The horse owner was charged in December with several counts of grossly causing bodily harm and causing danger to another. But when that man in his 70s died of his injuries in December, the charges were tightened to also include causing the death of another.

During April, the Stockholm District Court tried the case. The key question has been whether the horse owner handled the animals carelessly, took conscious risks and thereby exposed others to danger.

– I mean that it has been a question of deliberate carelessness that has led to this consequence, that the horses have run away in a public place and killed a person, said prosecutor Anna Meyrowitsch in connection with the prosecution.

Denies crime

The 55-year-old suspect has said that he handled the horses correctly and that the whole thing is a tragic accident, that a wasp might have scared the horses.

During the last day of the trial, the prosecutor demanded 18 months in prison for the horse owner.

The text is updated