Czech court acquits U.S. singer Blythe in fan death case

The young man climbed up the stage, from which he fell down after a clash with Blythe and suffered a head injury to which he later succumbed in hospital.

The verdict has not taken effect as the state attorney has appealed it.

The court concluded that the organisers and partly also security guards were responsible for the tragedy. The agreement under which there should be a corridor for the guards under the stage during Blythe´s concert was violated, judge Tomas Kubovec said.

Kubovec said Blythe did not push the youth off the stage.

The court said the dead man´s family can claim a compensation in civil court proceedings. The family originally demanded ten million crowns.

The main trial started in February. Blythe, 42, attended it as well as his parents, the parents of the dead boy and several dozens of Czech and foreign journalists. The trial was very emotional for the relatives.

Blythe was charged with causing bodily harm to another person with lethal consequences and faced up to ten years in prison if convicted.

Security guards and participants in the concert in Prague´s Abaton club, where the incident occurred, testified in court.

Blythe previously admitted in his testimony that he really pushed a fan off the stage after he repeatedly tried to climb up. He said he then could see him raising up from the ground amid the crowd of fans who signalled that he was in order.

The court also questioned experts in psychiatry and psychology who concluded that the singer is neither extremely aggressive nor suffers from a personality disorder.

In his speech today, Blythe regretted the tragedy and promised to improve safety at his concerts.

Blythe was arrested and taken into custody last June in Prague before his planned concert over the boy´s death. He said he had not known about the tragedy until then. He was released from custody after five weeks on bail set at $400,000.

The court decided today that the bail will be returned to Blythe. He may also leave the Czech Republic.

($1=19.727 crowns)

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz