German court orders treatment over pope incident
Legal World
A court ordered a German who jumped a security barrier and grabbed hold of Pope Benedict XVI's popemobile last year in the Vatican to undergo treatment but stopped short of sending him to a psychiatric hospital.
Security guards swiftly tackled and pinned the man to the ground following the incident in St. Peter's Square in June 2007.
The 28-year-old, who suffers from a bipolar disorder, was put Monday on four years' probation, the Waldshut-Tiengen state court in southwestern Germany said in a statement.
To avoid being sent to a psychiatric hospital during that period, he must begin psychotherapy and continue with medication he is already taking and undergo regular checkups, the court said.
He also was banned "categorically" from consuming alcohol and drugs, and must undergo regular urine tests, the court said. The man was not identified in the statement, in keeping with German court practice.
It said the man's health has "stabilized significantly" over the year since the incident, and that the conditions attached to Monday's verdict should encourage a further improvement.
The German-born pontiff was not harmed in last year's incident and appeared not to have even noticed. He did not look back and kept on waving and blessing the crowd.
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