Not legally binding

Attempted murder with a machete: verdict expected

Salzburg courthouse, seat of the provincial court

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

On Monday, the jury trial against a Yemeni ended in Salzburg Provincial Court: the man had previously claimed self-defense. The lay judges denied this. The sentence, which is not final, is three years in prison.

The trial that started last week came to an end on Monday at Salzburg Provincial Court: after an attack with a machete, the accused was charged with attempted murder. The lay judges denied this by 7 votes to 1. In the end, the Yemeni was sentenced to three years for intentional grievous bodily harm, not legally binding.

Victim was awarded 4200 euros
The jury decided on intentional grievous bodily harm, and the question of self-defense was answered in the negative. Victim's lawyer Stefan Rieder from the "White Ring" was awarded 4,200 euros for the 37-year-old victim from Salzburg.

The "Krone" reported on the bloody scenes that took place on December 22, 2023 in the Scherzhauserfeldsiedlung in Salzburg-Lehen: In the course of drug deals, the accused Yemeni (39) and a man from Salzburg (37) got into an argument. According to the indictment, the 39-year-old took a machete from a room and attacked his opponent with it. The latter was only just able to fend off the blow with his arm. However, this almost severed the victim's arm. 

Arm almost severed in defense

The doctors were able to reattach the arm. Last week, the trial against the attacker began on the charge of attempted murder: the public prosecutor's office spoke of a targeted attack against the victim's head. The 39-year-old denied this accusation, his defense lawyer spoke of a self-defense situation. The Yemeni also stated that the murder weapon was not a machete, but a bread knife. 

How the jury sees the case will be decided later today: The criminal trial will continue in Salzburg Provincial Court from 9 am. A verdict is expected in the afternoon.