GETTY/CEN He is accused of butchering 45-year-old Polish national Jolanta K

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Mohamad H faces one charge of murder, one of attempted murder and five counts of previous bodily harm after he allegedly carried out a frenzied attack which left a woman dead in the German town of Reutlingen. The barbaric attack only ended when someone hit Mohamad with their car. He is accused of butchering 45-year-old Polish national Jolanta K, who worked in the kebab shop alongside Mohamad. It is claimed she repeatedly rebuffed his sexual advances, with other employees labelling him “weird”.

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At the opening day of his trial, the accused is claiming the birthdate on his passport is wrong, saying he was born in mid-November 1995, not January 1 like his documents say. That would make him 20-years-old at the time of the horrific killing last July, a juvenile in the eyes of German law. The emphasis is on rehabilitation rather than punishment for minors, and sees them receive preferential treatment.

GETTY The accused is claiming the birthdate on his passport is wrong

The maximum sentence for murder for a minor is 10 years, or 15 in the most extreme cases, whereas it is life for an adult. And juveniles are usually housed in more comfortable cells and even enjoy leisure activities while locked away. If Mohamad’s claims are substantiated, the trial will have to move to a juvenile court.

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We would go to juvenile court Ulrich Polachowski

Presiding judge Ulrich Polachowski said: "If we are not sure, the principle of 'In dubio pro reo' [In doubt for the accused] applies, and we would go to juvenile court." X-ray testing of Mohamad’s teeth and dental records can pinpoint someone’s age, but it is not accurate enough to determine age within a few months. But the accused’s own parents have thrown doubt on his claim, maintaining he is an adult.

CEN It is claimed Jolanta repeatedly rebuffed his sexual advances

Still in Aleppo, his family have been contacted by lawyers who say he was already 21 by the time the atrocity was committed. Judge Polachowski is attempting to contact the authorities in Aleppo to confirm his parent’s claim. And his relatives are not the only ones to doubt his claim, a court worker who has had previous dealings with Mohamad was called to the stand, and said the Syrian was living in a refugee camp at the time of the killing.

GETTY The barbaric attack only ended when someone hit Mohamad with their car