Hojer, Hepnarová, the Pervitin case. A leading Czech criminologist lectured at UWB

A full classroom and numerous questions from students. This is how the lecture of criminalist Jiří Straus looked like, which attracted many students of FPR UWB. The expert impressed with the theory of the perpetrator of crime using specific cases.

On Monday 11 November, Jiří Straus, a leading Czech expert in criminalistics, visited the Faculty of Law of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (FPR UWB) to present a paper on the topic The criminal offender from the perspective of criminalistics and criminology. In his lecture, he pointed out the concept of a criminal offender, including specific examples.

One such example was the Pervitin case. The expert described that on Sunday, 13 August 2017, the whistleblower returned home from the night shift and found two dead persons, his sister and mother. Police subsequently conducted a crime scene search and located and arrested the suspect, who was located in a room inside a marijuana grow box. The suspect was completely naked. A third victim was subsequently found there. She had been slashed, with a dagger stuck in her head. Her body was also covered in bills. The perpetrator was not prosecuted for this triple murder because of insanity and was placed in detention. In his lecture, Jiří Straus also recounted, for example, the historical case of the perpetrators Ladislav Hojer and Olga Hepnarová. Ladislav Hojer was a Czech sadistic serial killer and cannibal who murdered several women in Czechoslovakia between 1978 and 1981. He was sentenced to death.

"This meeting became a rare opportunity for the students of the FPR UWB, where they could obtain not only theoretical information, but especially practical information from criminology and related fields for their future professional development. In this context, Jiří Straus willingly answered the students' questions, which were not few," said František Vavera, Head of the Department of Criminal Law at FPR UWB.

A student of FPR UWB shared her impressions: "I liked the lecture very much. It is obvious that the professor is a real expert with passion for his work. Not only does he understand the field, but he is able to transfer his enthusiasm to others. He tried to engage us, he was funny, he showed us the theory with practical examples. I believe that the lecture captured the interest of all the audience, even those who came beyond the scope of the criminology and criminology classes." These words were also confirmed by a student of the PhD programme at the FPR UWB: "Professor Straus' lecture was very beneficial and interesting. It was very interesting and interesting, and the lecturer's high level of expertise as well as his strong passion and interest in the field could be seen."

Professor Jiří Straus is a prominent criminalist, forensic expert and expert in forensic biomechanics. He graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Charles University in Prague (FTVS UK), in 1979-1982 he was an internal postgraduate student at the Department of Biomechanics of FTVS UK and wrote his dissertation on Selected Basic Kinematic Chains of the Human Musculoskeletal System and Control of Their Movement by Muscles. Subsequently, he habilitated at FTVS UK in the field of kinanthropology with a focus on biomechanics. In 2001, he was appointed professor in security science, and a year later he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science in police science. He was also appointed by the Municipal Court in Prague as a forensic expert in the field of Criminalistics - specialization in forensic biomechanics and is a member of the European Academy of Forensic Science. Professionally, he focuses on theoretical issues of criminalistics, criminalistic-technical methods of investigation and the theory of forensic biomechanics and its practical applications.