Mercep briefly lost consciousness after three hours of hearing. An attending doctor immediately examined him and recommend that the hearing be adjourned. The presiding judge agreed, even though Mercep said he was fit to continue.
Mercep suffered a stroke a few years ago and his health has deteriorated since. Medical experts had examined him before the trial opened and found that he was fit to stand trial.
Mercep commanded a police reserve unit at the start of the war in 1991. He is charged with ordering the arrest and torture of 52 persons and the murder of 43 civilians, mainly Serbs, from the Zagreb, Kutina and Pakrac areas.