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A 28-year-old from Carinthia was sentenced to 16 months in prison, two of which were unconditional, for rape at the regional court in Klagenfurt on Monday. The man is said to have raped two 13-year-old girls ten years ago. The case only became known through social media activities of one of the victims in 2021.
According to the indictment, the first crime took place in early summer 2013. At that time, a group of young people met frequently in Villach. A 13-year-old girl from this circle of friends wanted to go home after going to a disco and thus came into contact with the accused. The girl’s then 19-year-old acquaintance persuaded her to come to his house, where the rape had taken place. The case only came to light in 2021, after the woman, now an influencer on Instagram, hinted on the social media platform that she had been sexually abused in the past. A reader reported this.
“You didn’t believe me”
In the course of the interrogations, a second case became known, in which the accused allegedly molested another 13-year-old girl from the said group of friends in Landskron in a bush. At the time, she confided in her friend, who testified as a witness on Monday. The two did not go to the police after the crime. The Instagrammer said she lost faith in law enforcement because she wasn’t believed when she was 11 after a family sexual abuse incident.
Before the lay judge on Monday, the accused, a 28-year-old from Villach, pleaded not guilty. He would have known the girls from this circle of friends, they would have been friendly relationships, nothing more. “How did these allegations come about?” Judge Michael Schofnegger asked the accused. “I can’t explain it,” he replied.
Bad consequences
The statements of the two women, who are now 23, were recorded in the run-up to the trial and played on a video wall in the hall. The two described the course of events in great detail. She still suffers from panic attacks and is in therapeutic treatment. The second woman also spoke in many details about a similar course of events.
The defense denied the credibility of the young women and requested an acquittal. Prosecutor Doris Wieser pleaded guilty: “After the time in the youth group, the two affected no longer had any contact with each other. There is no reason why they should get together now. They didn’t even report it themselves.”
The mitigation grounds
The accused was sentenced to 16 months in prison, two months of which were mandatory, and a payment of 3,000 euros to one of the women. The age of the accused at the time of the crime, his good character and the fact that he has not been guilty of anything since then were considered mitigating factors. The defendant did not accept the verdict and lodged a nullity complaint and appeal.
Source: Nachrichten
