The attacker approached Saintula in his car, and stared at him through the windscreen. Photo: ICPonline
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Hannu Saintula was parking his car on Harjutorinkatu in Helsinki’s Kallio district earlier this month when a stranger attacked him in broad daylight. Two weeks later, Saintula remains in hospital, recovering from a broken femur and the surgical replacement of an artificial hip.
The assault took place on a weekday afternoon. A group of people, apparently intoxicated, were nearby. One man singled out Saintula, approached his car, and stared at him through the windscreen.
Saintula waited for the man to leave before stepping out. But the man quickly reappeared.
“That’s when the whole process began,” Saintula said.
The man, whom Saintula had never seen before, threatened to kill him if he tried to intervene. Saintula said nothing more than that he was heading to the sauna and walked away.
The man threw a beer can at Saintula’s back. Saintula turned to look but kept walking.
Moments later, the man appeared in front of him again and struck him in the jaw with an object. Saintula lost consciousness and collapsed. He woke up lying on the ground.
Emergency services took him to hospital, where doctors found that his femur had fractured and the hip implant he previously received had to be replaced.
“The doctor said he believes I’ll still be able to walk,” Saintula said.
His recovery is expected to take several months. He will remain hospitalised through the end of August at least.
In addition to the physical injuries, Saintula said the psychological impact has been significant.
He suspects the attacker was under the influence of alpha-PVP, a synthetic stimulant known in Finnish street slang as “peukku.” Users of the drug are often described as erratic, detached, and aggressive.
“That drug has to be removed from the streets,” Saintula said.
Having lived and moved around Kallio for decades, Saintula said he is used to unpredictable behaviour and occasional shouting in public. As a large man, he has generally felt physically safe.
This time, he believes he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, the target of what he describes as a “desperate cry” from a person in deep distress. But he warned that such incidents are becoming more common, and more dangerous.
“If society doesn’t do something, this will end badly for everyone. Public spaces are beginning to feel unsafe.”
“I want to tell this story so society wakes up. If nothing is done for people in this condition, we’re heading for something ugly,” he said.
Police confirmed that a report has been filed. Investigating officer Tuomas Lindholm said a group of substance users was present at the scene, and that one of them attacked a passer-by.
The suspect had previously caused disturbances in the area, according to police records. The case is being investigated as aggravated assault.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
