Croatian athlete Kristiana Josip Periš died at the age of 32 in a psychiatric hospital. "Jutarnji list" claims that the video from the hospital shows the torture he was subjected to by medical workers
Four medical technicians are suspected of the serious murder of a 32-year-old man Croatian sportsman Kristian Josip Periš, who died on October 21 in the Zagreb Clinic for psychiatry "Saint John".
A preliminary autopsy report showed multiple injuries, but the final cause of death has not yet been determined.
The case, in addition to the criminal investigation, opened up the question of the responsibility of the hospital administration, as well as the circumstances under which the Ministry of Health was notified of the patient's death.
Former national team player
Periš had a sports career behind him that included athletics, education in the field of kinesiology and work in parasports. He was a Croatian athlete, a competitor in shot put and discus throw, and later a coach in arm wrestling.
According to the data of the Croatian Athletics Federation and the international database World Athletics, Periš was a member of the Croatian national team. His personal record in the discus throw was 49,15 meters, which he set on June 6, 2021 in Karlovac. During the junior categories, he performed at two world championships, won two winter junior national titles, while in the senior competition he was bronze three times in the shot put.
He graduated from the Faculty of Kinesiology, and then devoted himself to working with para-athletes. He was a long-time trainer in hand wrestling.
He was also known to the general public for his participation in the television music competition "Superstar" in 2023, where he introduced himself as a trainer, masseur and master of kinesiology.
Three police interventions in one day
Periš died on October 21 at the "St. Ivan" Psychiatry Clinic, in the Jankomir neighborhood of Zagreb, in the addiction department. According to information from police documents published by "Jutarnji list", the police intervened that day at the address where he was staying, after a family member reported that he was in a mentally altered state. After that, the police were called to the hospital two more times.
In the reports of health workers, it was stated that Perish verbally attacked the staff, insulted and threatened them. However, the police report, as reported by "Jutarnji list", also contains different statements from employees.
One doctor told the police that the patient was calm, that he was tied to the bed and placed in the ward, that he did not threaten the staff or endanger anyone. According to the same report, the doctor who initially called the police later said that Parrish was not aggressive and that he cooperated with the health workers and the police.
According to the police documentation cited by the Croatian newspaper, Periš refused to return to the hospital, stating that he had been tied up during his previous stay and that he was afraid that he would be suffocated again.
The same evening, the family was informed that he had passed away. According to the information provided by the Croatian media, the family was informed that Periš stopped breathing during hospital care, after the administration of therapy and the physical restraint of the patient.
Four medical technicians are suspected of murdering a 32-year-old athlete at a Zagreb psychiatric clinic.
Kristian Josip Periš died on Oct 21 at the Jankomir addiction ward in Croatia 🇭🇷. Staff deny he was beaten; the autopsy is pending.
The case took on a new dimension after "Jutarnji list" announced that it had surveillance camera footage from hospital room 11a, which recorded the intervention of medical staff.
According to the description of the video published by this media, Periš was tied to the bed during the intervention, while several employees participated in his physical restraint.
"Jutarnji list" writes that at one point one of the technicians put a pillow over Perish's head and pressed him. Another technician pressed his knee on his chest and neck.
In the video, according to the paper, one of the technicians can be seen hitting Periš in the chest area, first with an elbow, and then with a fist. There were several medical workers in the room, and one nurse approached with a syringe, after which the patient was given an injection.
"Jutarnji list" states that in the later part of the video, one of the employees is laughing while standing over the patient's head. According to the time reconstruction published by the paper, a little more than eight minutes after the start of the intervention, the staff removed the pillow from Perish's head and noticed that he was unconscious. Resuscitation was soon started, but without success.
Four technicians suspected of serious murder
According to preliminary autopsy findings reported by the Croatian media, numerous bruises and parts with peeled skin, rib and sternum fractures, as well as lung and brain edema were found on Periš's body. Medical needle punctures were also recorded.
At the time of publication of the report, additional medical analyzes had not yet been completed, so there was no basis to state as an established fact that death occurred by suffocation or as a direct consequence of a specific injury.
The Zagreb police arrested four medical technicians, aged 22, 28, 32 and 52, on suspicion of having participated in the event that led to Periš's death.
According to information from the Hina agency, the suspects are accused of jointly using physical force on the patient, preventing him from getting up and freeing himself, causing injuries from which he died.
The Zagreb County Court sentenced them to a one-month pretrial detention due to the danger of influencing witnesses and evidence, the possibility of repeating the crime and the particularly difficult circumstances of the case.
According to "Jutarnji List", three suspects defended themselves by remaining silent during the first questioning, while the fourth presented his defense.
The family disputes claims of aggression
The family of the deceased, through lawyer Leon Zrnić, contested the claims that Periš was aggressive and posed a danger to health workers.
The lawyer stated that the family has documentation from the health care facility, which, he claims, shows that Periš was not aggressive. He also pointed to the police intervention during which, according to official records, there were no grounds for action against him.
Zrnić also rejected the allegations that appeared in the public about the alleged use of narcotics, stressing that the health institution had no proof that Periš was under their influence.
The family requested the preservation and review of surveillance camera footage, considering it key evidence for determining the circumstances of the death.
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