Trial Five municipal employees stand trial in St. Gallen

A trial against five city employees began in St. Gallen on Tuesday. They are accused of negligent grievous bodily harm. The case revolves around a child who was pushed off the diving platform at the swimming pool in 2020 and suffered serious injuries.

The nine-year-old hit his head on the edge of the pool from five meters. He has since had to repeat two classes and is now in a special class, according to his family's lawyer.

The public prosecutor's office and the lawyer for the private plaintiffs demanded a conviction for negligent grievous bodily harm for five employees of the city of St. Gallen, management members and employees of the swimming pool. They allegedly ignored safety deficiencies at the diving platform and failed to monitor it during operation.

In addition, there were no rules of conduct at the municipal outdoor pool in Lerchenfeld, such as a ban on pushing anyone off the diving platform. "A huge number of safety regulations were not complied with," said the lawyer. He also demanded financial compensation for the boy.

SDA