Last suspect caught in machete attack case

Liberec, North Bohemia, Sept 20 (CTK) - The police in Britain caught the last of the five Czech Romany assailants who have been prosecuting over the machete attack on guests to a night club in Novy Bor in August 2011, state attorney Radim Kadlcek told CTK yesterday.

The Regional Court in Liberec has remanded the man, aged 20, in custody, Kadlcek said.

"He was detained in England and on the basis of the European law he was moved here," Kadlcek said.

The man will stay in custody pending the trial so that he could not escape again.

The time of the trial has not yet been fixed.

Three people were injured in the attack that took place in a night-club in Novy Bor on August 7, 2011.

The incident was preceded by a conflict between a waitress and two Romany youths who wanted to play the gambling machines in the night club. The youths allegedly called the waitress names, but the guests defended her and made the youths leave. But a group of Romanies returned to the club and attacked the guests with machetes.

This and several similar incidents escalated the tension between the majority population and low-income newcomers, mostly Romanies, in north Bohemia. A number of rallies were held against rising Romany crime in the region.

If convicted of attempted murder and breach of the peace, four of the assailants may be sentenced up to 15-20 years in prison or given the life sentence. The fifth, facing bodily harm and breach of the peace charges, can be sentenced to five-12 years in prison.