Every mountain biker knows that a wire or rope stretched across a steep trail is extremely dangerous—and treacherous. Anyone who sets such traps isn’t trying to prevent riders from using the trail. The goal is to injure them.

The Heilbronn District Attorney’s Office even viewed the traps—which a hunting leaseholder had set on the unauthorized Dachstrail—as attempted murder and prosecuted the man, who was in his sixties, for it. They sought a sentence of three years and nine months behind bars for the man.

This underscores the trap-setter’s malicious intent: After the taut wires snapped when riders rode into them, he reinforced his setup and strung wire ropes—which were sheathed in green. Speaking off the record, an experienced criminal defense attorney commented: “It certainly doesn’t reflect well on him that he reinforced his traps after the first ones failed to work.”

Not attempted murder, but attempted aggravated assault

Fortunately, a mountain biker still managed to spot the trap and stop in time. Only after he had determined in conversations with other bikers that wires and ropes had been strung across the “Dachstrail” and other trails for some time did he decide to file a report, as he later told SWR. The police and the public prosecutor’s office then did their part and found the perpetrator, who was still a suspect at the time.

After several days of hearings, the Heilbronn Regional Court has now handed down its first-instance verdict: The man is guilty of attempted aggravated assault in two counts, as well as attempted endangerment of road traffic. However, the court did not find the attempted murder charge proven.

The prison sentence is one year and three months, suspended on probation. The hunter can appeal the verdict, so it is not yet final.