Not legally binding

21 months in prison after being hit in the face with a glass

It happened in the heat of the moment (symbolic image)

(Bild: APA/dpa/dpaweb/Felix Heyder)

A packed dance floor, an unintentional collision, alcohol intoxication and a provocation: in the heat of a disco in Linz, a visitor was looking for a fight, got a glass in the face instead and had to be stitched up in hospital. The attacker had to answer for his actions at the Linz provincial court.

"It is clear that the aggression did not come from you and that it was a knee-jerk reaction. Despite all the reasons for mitigation, we cannot legally excuse you," explained the judge. But from the beginning: On March 16, an Austrian employee (29) was partying with friends in the Linzer Alm.

Aggression came from the victim
There, on the packed dance floor, the previously blameless man with no police record collided with a 30-year-old Austrian from Linz. Everything seemed fine - until the 30-year-old approached the accused again and started to argue. A friend of the 29-year-old intervened and stood with his back to the 30-year-old victim. This was not only evident from the statements of all those involved, but also from surveillance videos.

Seven wounds, two deep scars
After he had roughly pushed the mediator to the ground twice, where he then remained (which will be dealt with separately), the accused saw red and hit his opponent in the face with a glass. Seven wounds had to be stitched with 17 stitches and left two clear scars. As a result, he had to answer to the Linz Regional Court on Thursday for assault with serious permanent consequences.

Glass as a weapon
Because the glass was considered a weapon, the minimum sentence was two years. And that's what he got: 21 months conditional imprisonment plus a fine of 1800 euros. The verdict is not yet final.

After the scars had been inspected by the judge, lay assessors and the expert witness, the defendant took the opportunity to ask if he could apologize to the victim, who replied in the affirmative. Hands were shaken - it was just a "stupid intoxication story".