"Memory is missing"

Trial for attempted murder: knife attack in a pub

(Bild: Anja Richter, Krone KREATIV)

On Wednesday, a 40-year-old Viennese man went on trial for three counts of attempted murder after allegedly attacking three guests with a knife in a pub in Margareten on the night of May 18. According to the indictment, the man grabbed the weapon from the bar after an argument and stabbed the men. One of the injured men was even in mortal danger. The trial was adjourned.

The 40-year-old pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, but admitted to the bodily injuries. Due to his alcoholization and drug consumption, he could only remember the evening in fragments. It is estimated that he had around two per mille of alcohol in his blood at the time of the crime.

Combined personality disorder
"I don't have a concrete memory," he said. Due to a combined personality disorder, which is associated with the risk that he is highly likely to commit serious crimes in the future, the public prosecutor's office has also applied for him to be admitted to a forensic-therapeutic center in accordance with Section 21/2 of the Criminal Code.

The Viennese is actually a trained waiter and should have completed a retraining course in September because he has repeatedly come into conflict with the law in the past due to his alcohol and drug addiction. "Working in the hospitality industry was no longer possible due to my alcohol addiction," he told the jury court (presiding: Eva Brandstetter). He did not drink every day, not even at home, but "unfortunately a lot" when he went out.

Cocaine and amphetamine consumed
On the afternoon before the crime, he visited the pub in Margareten as he often did. The landlady was a friend of his and he was supposed to get a car for her that day, but he had forgotten his driver's license. So he sat at the bar all evening and drank - including seven beers, Jägermeister, a Bacardi-Cola, and also consumed cocaine and amphetamines. "An explosive mixture", said his defense lawyer Amir Ahmed.

At a late hour, a friend joined him, who at some point missed his cell phone. A party at the next table was asked about the whereabouts of the phone, the lights were turned up and a search was made in the bar. In the course of this, there was probably a discussion between the two Viennese and the group of Serbs in the bar.

Jaw fracture and fracture of the eye socket
How and why the accused took the knife from the bar was not 100% clear at the trial. The defendant could only vaguely remember and said that he only remembered the discussion and the knife. He believed that a group of men had attacked him. Then he had a film tear. He regained consciousness on the street when he realized that he was covered in blood. He also suffered injuries, a broken jaw and a fractured eye socket. It was unclear who had inflicted them on him.

His friend claimed that one of the Serbs had approached the 40-year-old in a threatening manner, the two had then scuffled and the 40-year-old had only defended himself. The other guests agreed that the accused had come to the table and stabbed one of them in the neck from behind. Two Serbs came to the attacker's aid and were also injured.

He is very sorry. He himself is stunned by what happened that evening.

Verteidiger Amir Ahmed

Stabbed eleven times
According to the public prosecutor, he stabbed the men eleven times. One suffered life-threatening injuries and would not have survived without medical help, the other two were seriously and slightly injured respectively. The witnesses spoke of a targeted attack with the first stab, then the 40-year-old is said to have swung the knife back and forth.

"He is very sorry. He himself is stunned by what happened that evening," said his lawyer and pleaded guilty to two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of grievous bodily harm. His client understands that he needs to undergo alcohol and drug treatment and would also like to undergo therapy for his personality disorder. He would behave normally in everyday life and his friend described him as a good person. "That was an exceptional situation that did not correspond to his type," said the friend, with whom the accused had also lived, on the witness stand. He had always committed his crimes under the influence of intoxicants.

Request for a toxicology report
In order to determine whether the 40-year-old had committed the attack under the influence of his intoxication and whether he had not been mentally incompetent at the time of the crime, the lawyers applied for a toxicology expert to be summoned. The request was granted and the trial was adjourned to October 22.

If found guilty, he faces a prison sentence of between ten and 20 years or life imprisonment.