A seemingly petty argument over the arrangement of a shared apartment in Podstrana led to 45-year-old Tomislav threatening his 58-year-old brother Zoran with a knife, all in front of his little daughter, who was about a year old at the time, reveals a verdict from the Municipal Misdemeanor Court in Split.
According to the verdict, the incident took place on August 27, 2021, when Tomislav, while intoxicated, verbally attacked his brother Zoran, shouting: "I'll beat you up, you have no business telling me how I'm going to fix the apartment...", after which he threw his personal belongings on the floor. Everything took place in the family apartment in Podstrana, where they both live. What is particularly worrying is that the incident took place in the presence of Zoran's little daughter, who was about a year old at the time of the incident, and their third brother was also in the apartment.
The situation culminated when Tomislav left the apartment, threatening: "If anyone ever thinks of entering the apartment again, I'll stab the first person who comes in..."
Interestingly, during the entire trial, none of the witnesses testified. Neither the victim Zoran nor the other brother who was in the apartment at the time appeared at the hearings. Despite this, the court had enough evidence to reach a verdict, relying on police reports and the suspect's interrogation record, in which Tomislav admitted that he "verbally attacked the brothers by shouting."
Despite five court summonses over four years, the defendant never appeared at the hearings, so the court rendered a verdict in his absence. He was sentenced to 70 days in prison, but his sentence was suspended for six months of probation.
According to the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence, psychological violence that causes distress or violation of dignity is treated as a misdemeanor, and the penalties are more severe when committed in the presence of a child.
Photo: Canva/Foto kreativa portal.hr
