It was in October 2024 that the incident occurred in a classroom at the school, in the middle of the science lesson.
The boys are described in the investigation as friends – and still are. The elves were 15 and 16 years old respectively at the time and were jokingly arguing in class.
The 15-year-old hit the 16-year-old and then sat down at his bench. The 16-year-old then strangled his friend from behind. The hold lasted a couple of seconds, but led to the 15-year-old losing consciousness and collapsing on the floor.
“Had convulsions and shook”
“Everything went black. I convulsed and shook. I felt like I was going to die right before I fell to the floor. When I regained consciousness, the friends were completely horrified,” the boy said during the police investigation.
“I was terrified and said sorry as soon as he regained consciousness. It was a normal normal stranglehold. I didn’t know he was going to pass out. I know you can pass out from a stranglehold, but I thought it would take longer,” the 16-year-old said.
The lesson ended after the incident. The 15-year-old continued the school day as usual, despite headaches and dizziness. Then the incident was forgotten until it was reported to the police a week later.
Life-threatening act
Both boys were reported to the police, the 15-year-old for minor assault and the 16-year-old for serious assault.
Umeå district court acquits the boy who was strangled unconscious, but convicts the 16-year-old of serious assault. “The crime should be assessed as serious because the act was life-threatening as the plaintiff was put in a life-threatening condition,” the prosecutor believes.
Because he was so young at the time of the crime, he will have a reduced sentence and will therefore be sentenced to 100 hours of youth service.