Proceedings against the man accused of causing the 2022 May Day crash in which several people were injured on Esplanadi in central Helsinki began on Wednesday in the Helsinki District Court.
Police say the 35-year-old man drove dangerously fast through the centre of the city before smashing into a parked car near a cafe.
Police have previously said that the man was not inebriated at the time of the crash.
The prosecution is stating that after a psychological evaluation, it was determined that the man was unaware of his actions and therefore not criminally responsible at the time of the incident.
In all, he faces charges over five different offences including eleven counts of attempted manslaughter and six counts of aggravated attempted assault. He's also standing trial for aggravated endangerment.
According to the police, the man was driving at more than a hundred kilometres an hour until he hit cars parked close to the cafe.
There are around 40 victims in the case, including those who were endangered by the man's actions. The car hit and injured three people, according to the prosecution, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.
The incident began around 7pm on 1 May, when police asked the driver to stop. Instead he drove towards Esplanadi, eventually coming to a stop at 37 Pohjoisesplanadi.
