Five charged after violent machete attack on Hamina child welfare unit
Prosecutors have filed charges against five individuals following a violent incident last September, in which a group armed with machetes forcibly liberated a youth from a child welfare placement unit in Hamina. The case will be heard in the Kymenlaakso District Court in February 2027.
The incident occurred on 14 September 2025, when outsiders stormed a locked residential unit for minors. According to police, three of the intruders gained entry by assaulting and threatening staff with 60–80 centimetre-long "jungle knives" or machetes. The staff and residents were forced into a single room while the group retrieved the underage boy from another locked area (Yle; Iltalehti).
The charges include two counts of violent resistance against an official, coercion, two counts of assault, aggravated breach of domestic peace, and aggravated deprivation of liberty. Additionally, the prosecutor is seeking penalties for aiding and abetting these acts and incitement to aggravated breach of domestic peace (Helsingin Sanomat; Yle). One of the accused was a minor at the time of the offences.
Victims and suspects
The victims of the attack include three underage children—two girls and one boy—who were present in the unit at the time (Iltalehti). The accused, born between 2006 and 2008, have all denied guilt during the preliminary investigation (Yle; Iltalehti).
Police described the act as "exceptional" and confirmed that the freed youth was acquainted with the intruders, sharing a criminal history with them. The boy was reportedly aware of the liberation plans in advance and maintained contact with the group (Helsingin Sanomat). After the incident, the group fled to the Helsinki metropolitan area, where they were later apprehended.
Legal proceedings
A sixth suspect, who was a minor at the time of the offence, died in March 2026 before charges could be filed. The prosecutor also decided not to pursue charges against one other individual (Helsingin Sanomat; Iltalehti). The remaining suspects were released from pre-trial detention during the investigation. The trial is scheduled to begin in early 2027.
