Sofia Court Keeps 15-Year-Old in Custody over Fatal Stabbing

Sofia City Court has ordered that a 15-year-old boy who stabbed and killed a peer in a shopping mall in Sofia on 19 October remain in custody.

The court ruled that while there was no risk of the boy fleeing, he posed a real danger of committing further offences. He has a previous criminal record, including a robbery earlier this year.

Authorities said that previous supervision under the Juvenile Pedagogical Room programme had failed to prevent problematic behaviour. The boy’s health condition is congenital, but it does not prevent him from being detained. His court-appointed lawyer confirmed that, after consulting with the boy’s father, they would not appeal the decision.

The court session had been adjourned yesterday after the boy’s health deteriorated. He was taken by ambulance to Pirogov emergency hospital and later examined by paediatric cardiologists at the National Cardiology Hospital.