Brutal attack with an iron bar: Regional Court sends man back to a psychiatric hospital

He had previously been admitted to a psychiatric ward after terrorising a family and causing the mother to lose most of her eyesight in a brutal attack: René M. must now be committed to a secure institution for an indefinite period, possibly for the rest of his life: The man, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, is alleged to have committed attempted manslaughter and grievous bodily harm whilst not criminally responsible.

Since March 2026, the 42-year-old had been on trial in a so-called secure detention hearing at Leipzig Regional Court . According to the prosecution, the former lorry driver suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and is therefore incapable of recognising the wrongfulness of his actions. The investigating authorities assumed that on 25 September 2025, between 00:44 and 01:10, René M. attacked a wheelchair user with an iron bar at Lindenauer Markt for no apparent reason.

The defenceless Karlheinz M. fell out of his seat during the stabbing attack and is said to have subsequently been struck on the head with the bar before the attacker fled. Karlheinz M. had to be treated at the University Hospital following the shocking assault.

In 2014, he attacked a mother with a screwdriver

The public prosecutor’s office believed that René M. had already, on 16 September 2025 in broad daylight, suddenly grabbed a woman at a tram stop and strangled her by the throat. The man, who had most recently been homeless, was no stranger to the law: since July 2014, he had terrorised and stalked neighbours in Pausdorf for months, striking the family’s then 14-year-old son on the head with a beer bottle.

The tragic climax came in October 2014, when the mother was attacked by René M. with a screwdriver and lost most of her eyesight. The family were already in the process of moving out of their old flat after months of psychological terror – the attack, during which René M. was overpowered by neighbours who rushed to the scene, took place during a meeting with the property management company.

At the time, the court had already found René M. not criminally responsible due to psychosis and had committed him to a psychiatric hospital for attempted manslaughter. After several years, however, he was released and placed under supervision. The decision to readmit him to a secure psychiatric hospital was made by the First Criminal Division of the Regional Court back in May; according to the court, this was in line with the submissions of both the prosecution and the defence. The decision is final.

Trend towards more offenders with mental health conditions in Saxony

As the Leipziger Volkszeitung recently reported , the number of offenders with mental health conditions, including violent offenders, has risen significantly in Saxony over recent years. Consequently, where these individuals are deemed a danger to the public, they must be committed to a psychiatric facility by the courts.

Various causes of this trend are being discussed: these include, amongst others, heavy drug use, an increase in the number of people with a history of displacement and trauma, and the trend towards cuts and reductions in treatment places in general psychiatric care. Furthermore, there is said to be a decreasing tolerance for risk regarding potentially violent behaviour within the general healthcare system.