Did Innviertler accept the death of a 38-year-old?

A 36-year-old man from the Ried district is facing very serious charges from the Regensburg public prosecutor’s office. The OÖN reported exclusively on the ongoing proceedings on Monday. On May 30, the Innviertel man, who is presumed innocent, is said to have completely lost his temper after an argument at the Schwarzacher Volksfest in the Straubing-Bogen district. According to the police, an argument first broke out between several people at the festival. The 36-year-old was apparently among them. A 38-year-old man is said to have thrown a wheat beer glass at a group of people with the Innviertel man. The 36-year-old is said to have then brutally attacked the man, including by kicking him in the head.

A manhunt for the suspected perpetrator was successful. Shortly after the incident, the Innviertel resident was tracked down and arrested. The man was in custody for just over a month. Last Friday, there was a detention review hearing. “The arrest warrant was suspended subject to conditions,” said Thomas Rauscher, senior public prosecutor and press spokesman for the Regensburg public prosecutor’s office, in response to a request from the OÖN. The Innviertel resident must report to the police regularly. Another condition, according to Rauscher, is that he “takes up residence with his partner.”

The accusations made by the Regensburg public prosecutor’s office are quite serious: “The charge is attempted manslaughter in conjunction with dangerous bodily harm. The background is that the accused is accused of having kicked the victim lying on the ground in the face with full force using his shod foot,” said public prosecutor Rauscher. “In such incidents, it is generally assumed under German criminal law that the accused at least accepted the death of the victim.”

According to information from the public prosecutor, the victim suffered a tripod fracture on the left side as a result of the kicks, i.e. a complex fracture of the facial skull and cheekbone, as well as a traumatic brain injury. If the 36-year-old from the Ried district is charged with the crime of attempted manslaughter, he will face five to 15 years in prison if convicted. The penalty for dangerous bodily harm is up to ten years.

Previously convicted in Austria

At least for the Austrian judiciary, the Innviertel native is no stranger to the story. In June 2020, he was sentenced to 14 months’ suspended imprisonment as an accomplice to the crime of fraudulent bankruptcy by the Wels Regional Court.