Martyrdom in a music school in the district of Grieskirchen began for a then twelve-year-old girl in 2016. Her then music school teacher from the Innviertel, who is now 59 years old, took advantage of the girl’s trust and authority in a hideous way. From 2016 to autumn 2018, i.e. over a long period of time, he attacked his student several times, the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten reported on the allegations for the first time in October 2018.
At the beginning of the sexual assault, the girl was only twelve years old. According to victims’ representatives, lawyer Gernot Lehner from Neumarkt im Hausruck, the man from the Innviertel immorally touched his client between the legs, on the breasts and other parts of the body during music lessons. “As a result of the assault, the girl suffered a moderately depressive episode,” says Lehner.
After more than two years, the girl dared to describe the sexual assault to her mother in autumn 2018. This report was filed, followed by a lengthy investigation and evidence process, mainly because many possible victims had to be questioned.
In January 2021, the main hearing against the music school teacher finally took place in the regional court in Wels. The man was charged with allegedly assaulting three victims. In the case of two alleged victims, the court did not have sufficient evidence at the time. When the girl was abused, the court was sure. The music school teacher was sentenced to four years and 9 months imprisonment. The defendant lodged a complaint of nullity and an appeal. At the end of December 2021, after the Supreme Court upheld the guilty verdict in October, the appeal hearing on the sentence took place. “The Higher Regional Court of Linz reduced the sentence to four years and seven months due to the long duration of the proceedings. The judgment is final,” says victim lawyer Lehner, adding: “My client received late justice. But she is still suffering from the consequences and is in still in treatment.”
It was particularly stressful for the girl that she was even massively bullied in her hometown after the complaint against the music teacher. “The social pressure was enormous. It is all the more important that the public now find out that they were telling the truth,” says Lehner in the OÖN interview.
Source: Nachrichten
