Fare not paid

Sushi hostess run over: Young couple brought before judge

The badly marked sushi hostess at the trial in Graz

(Bild: Monika König-Krisper, Krone KREATIV)

Because they couldn't pay the bill, a 16-year-old girl and her boyfriend (17) fled from a sushi restaurant in Linz in August last year. Their boss chased them. But the young woman pressed the accelerator of her stolen car and ran over the 42-year-old. On Tuesday, they were sentenced to prison in Graz for attempted murder - not legally binding!

Lihua C. is brought to court in Graz in a wheelchair by a paramedic. In August last year, she was run over by a car in front of her restaurant in Linz by two teenagers, aged just 16 and 17, although she only wanted to ask them to pay the outstanding bill. The victim is now waiting to be questioned in front of the jury courtroom. 

Prior to this, public prosecutor Katharina Tauschmann gave her statement of charges. And it's a tough one, because the two are anything but clean slates! Stealing cars and putting them into operation without authorization was almost the order of the day for them, as was shoplifting. They have already been convicted, including the 16-year-old for attempted grievous bodily harm.

Public prosecutor Katharina Tauschmann

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

"It's a miracle she's still alive"
But what possessed the dental assistant in training and the apprentice electrician on that August 9th last year? "They wanted to run away together and enjoy life," the prosecutor explains. "Let's go to Linz," the two thought. Once there, they parked the car in a one-way street and then enjoyed themselves. It was clear to them that they didn't have enough money with them. So they simply left.

The badly marked sushi waitress at the trial in Graz

(Bild: Monika König-Krisper, Krone KREATIV)

However, a waiter and the sushi chef noticed this and followed the two to the car. While the waiter tried to open the passenger door, the 42-year-old stood in the street and pulled out her cell phone. "She wanted to take a picture of the car for documentation," says the prosecutor. But then the girl pressed the accelerator. They didn't care whether the woman would survive, the main thing was to get away. The victim was completely run over by two tires. "It's a miracle that she survived." 

My client is being portrayed as a serious criminal here. That is absolutely not true!

Verteidiger Bernhard Lehofer

Bild: Christian Jauschowetz

Public excluded from interrogation
Bernhard Lehofer, defense lawyer for the young defendant, counters: "My client is being portrayed as a serious criminal here. That is absolutely not true!" She had had a difficult childhood and youth and had come to Austria at the age of seven after her parents divorced. She herself had been the victim of serious violence and was actually an intelligent but severely scarred girl who suffered from panic attacks. It was precisely because of these that she acted on that terrible day. Moreover, the sushi hostess had not been standing on the street, but had rather jumped into the car that was already moving. 

The defense lawyer for her accused boyfriend pleaded "not guilty". He, as well as the previous speaker, requested that the public be excluded from the proceedings, as there was too much concern about ridicule and malice as well as the further progress of the two. The professional judges partially agree to this request. The public is excluded from the questioning of the defendants.

Victim had already been operated on several times
When this is over, the victim is called. She is brought forward in a wheelchair by the paramedic. Once again, she is asked to recount what happened on that fateful day. "I noticed that they hadn't paid. I went outside, but my colleague and I didn't see them because they were hiding. But we spotted them. They ran quickly, so I assume they saw me. My colleague ran after them and I followed on foot," she says. When she stood in front of the car, she wanted to take a photo with her cell phone.

I'm not feeling well. I have pain in my back and legs and I recently had another operation. That was my sixth operation. I still have more to come.

Das Opfer Lihua C.

Prison sentences for the couple who were friends
But suddenly the car drove off. She tried to jump to the side, but the car was going too fast. According to the presiding judge, she had certainly not run into the side of the car that was already moving, as the defendant had previously stated during her interrogation. And: "She must have seen me!" When the presiding judge asked her how she was feeling, she replied: "I'm not well. I have pain in my back and legs and I recently had another operation. That was my sixth operation. I still have more to come." 

In the evening hours, the two were sentenced to prison: She faces four years in prison, her boyfriend was sentenced to 30 months in prison. The sentences are not yet final.