Member of Parliament Timo Vornanen at the Helsinki District Court on 12 November 2025. Photo: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva
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Timo Vornanen, Member of Parliament and former police officer, has been sentenced to eight months in suspended prison following a shooting incident in central Helsinki in April.
Helsinki District Court ruled on Friday that Vornanen was guilty of assault, two counts of illegal threats, negligent handling of a firearm, a firearms offence, and a firearms violation. The court considered the most serious charge to be an unlawful threat directed at a man who, according to the judgment, had not acted threateningly toward the MP.
The shooting took place at approximately 4 a.m. on 26 April 2024, after a night out at Bar Ihku nightclub in the Kamppi area. The events followed a verbal dispute and physical altercation between Vornanen and two other men.
According to court findings, the confrontation began inside the nightclub. Surveillance footage presented in court showed Vornanen grabbing a 41-year-old man by the throat and pushing him onto a sofa. The court rejected the claim that the man had assaulted Vornanen, dismissing any grounds for self-defence.
After being separated inside the bar, the dispute continued outside. Another man, aged 31, threatened to assault Vornanen. The court accepted that Vornanen had reason to fear for his personal safety but found no justification for his decision to draw a loaded 6.35-calibre pistol and fire a shot into the pavement.
The MP then aimed the weapon at the two men involved. The court stated that Vornanen had the option to withdraw from the situation and had not been in immediate danger that would have warranted the use of a firearm.
Footage showed him placing the gun back into his pocket after the incident and walking away. Police arrested him shortly after at the intersection of Arkadiankatu and Runeberginkatu.
The court also reviewed his firearm authorisation. Vornanen had been granted a permit for the pistol in 1998 on the basis of his work as a police officer. As a sitting MP, he was not entitled to carry the weapon in connection with his duties. The court said there was no valid reason for him to have carried the firearm, its ammunition, or its magazine during a night out in the city.
Blood alcohol tests were not disclosed, but the court noted that Vornanen was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident.
A search of his home revealed additional violations. Police found two blank-firing revolvers and two rifle magazines acquired without licences. Legislation passed in 2019 requires permits for these items. These findings contributed to the firearms offence conviction.
During the trial, state prosecutor Tapio Mäkinen had sought a minimum five-month suspended sentence. Vornanen requested leniency, arguing that media coverage had caused him exceptional reputational damage and financial loss through political consequences. The court rejected the appeal.
The events led to his expulsion from the Finns Party parliamentary group. He has since formed his own group in parliament.
The judgment stated that Vornanen’s use of the firearm posed a risk to others in the area. The incident occurred in a densely populated district of Helsinki during night-time hours. The court found that the presence of a loaded weapon in a crowded public space created a clear risk that the firearm could have fallen into unauthorised hands.
The court concluded that the shot fired by Vornanen was not a warning shot in a legal sense. It emphasised that pointing a loaded weapon at individuals, regardless of whether a shot is discharged, constitutes an illegal threat.
Before sentencing, Vornanen stated on Facebook that he would not comment until he had reviewed the court’s decision fully. He said he would issue a public statement at a later time.
“I need time to go through the decision carefully on Friday and Saturday. I will publish a short statement on my Facebook account, probably during Independence Day,” he wrote.
The verdict is not yet legally binding and remains subject to appeal.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
