Prosecution for Aiding Suicide Halted in Case of Primary School Pupil's Death

Kosice, 29 January (TASR) - A criminal prosecution regarding the offence of facilitating suicide in the case of the tragic death of a ninth-grade pupil at a primary school in the village of Parchovany (Kosice region) in November 2023 has been halted, TASR learnt from Kosice Regional Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Jarmila Janova on Thursday. According to her, an appeal against this decision will be reviewed by the Prosecutor-General's Office, while an earlier criminal prosecution for the offence of manslaughter has already been halted. In the case at hand, a juvenile girl, the boy's classmate, was charged with the offence of facilitating suicide. However, the regional prosecutor halted the prosecution on 16 January this year on the grounds that her conduct did not constitute a criminal offence under the Criminal Procedure Code. "On 27 January, an appeal against this decision was submitted, which will be decided by the Prosecutor-General's Office," she added. Regarding the offence of manslaughter, a criminal prosecution was halted by a police investigator, who concluded that no criminal offence had been committed. "The decision became final on 22 December, when a prosecutor with the Kosice Regional Prosecutor's Office rejected an appeal filed by the injured parties in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code," stated Janova. During a break on 20 November 2023, a 15-year-old pupil from the primary school in Parchovany climbed onto the roof of the school and then fell, suffering injuries to which he succumbed after being transported to hospital. His father told the media that his son had been allegedly bullied. The school, however, claimed that it had never received any complaint to this effect. jrg/df