14 months suspended

Actor alleged to have abused child star

Wearing an FFP2 mask, sunglasses, a cap and a gray folder, the accused appeared in the Vienna regional court.

(Bild: Zwefo/Zwefo, Krone KREATIV)

On Friday, the trial against an actor who initiated contact with choirboys took place in the Vienna Provincial Court. The Carinthian actor pressured a 13-year-old boy to perform sexual acts with him via video call. The accused speaks of an "insane maniac". He received a 14-month conditional prison sentence - not legally binding.

A flurry of flashbulbs of a different kind awaited the accused actor on Friday. Instead of standing on stage, he sat in the prosecution chair in Vienna's regional court, covering his face with sunglasses, an FFP2 mask and a gray folder. The accusations are serious: he used Instagram to ask a child star aged just 13 to masturbate with him. 

13-year-old encouraged to masturbate
"Do you want to do it on video?"; "Would love to do it with you"; "Why not? Are you a coward?" - the prosecutor presents excerpts from the chats between the Carinthian and the victim, who vehemently rejected any sexual acts. But the defendant doesn't let up. He had met the boy at a production in a large Viennese theater. "I thought he gave a great performance for such a young actor."

I can't say any more about it than that it was an insane turnout. It's all there in black and white. I can't sugarcoat anything.

Der angeklagte Ex-Schauspieler vor Gericht in Wien

As a result, the 13-year-old's profile on Instagram was suggested to him. "I can't say anything more about it than that it was a crazy freak-out. It's all there in black and white. I can't sugarcoat anything," he pleaded guilty to attempted sexual abuse of minors before the jury.

Wearing an FFP2 mask, sunglasses, a cap and a gray folder, the defendant appeared in the Vienna Regional Court.

(Bild: Zwefo/Zwefo, Krone KREATIV)

However, he was also charged with attempting to produce child abuse images. The Carinthian-born man pleaded not guilty to this charge. He had never intended to take screenshots.

"I'm no longer in this industry"
After the allegations were made, the young man immediately sought treatment: "I'm in men's counseling in Vienna. I can really work through a lot so that something embarrassing like this doesn't happen again." The judge also asks: "Are you currently working?" The defendant states that he works in retail. "Because I still have actors standing here," says Mr. Rat, looking at the generals. Answer: "I'm no longer in that line of work."

The trial against the ex-actor lasts less than an hour: the interrogation of the 13-year-old can be dispensed with due to his partial admission of responsibility. His private party representative from the law firm Philipp Wolm joins in with a symbolic pain and suffering payment of 3,000 euros. 

Suspended sentence
After a short deliberation, the verdict is reached: 14 months' conditional imprisonment for attempted sexual abuse of the child star. According to the presiding judge, the mitigating factors outweighed the circumstances. The verdict is not final.