Trial against Algerian

Pensioner (92) raped in Vienna: Trial

The 28-year-old in the Vienna provincial court.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

The trial of the Algerian man who attacked, robbed and raped a former resident of a retirement home in Vienna-Wieden in October 2023 took place in Vienna Regional Court on Wednesday. According to an expert opinion, the 28-year-old was sane during the brutal attack. During the trial, the man blamed the horrific act on drug use. The sentence: 13 years in prison!

"I am guilty of all the crimes," says the 28-year-old Algerian who attacked, robbed and raped a disabled 92-year-old woman in a retirement home in Vienna-Wieden on October 10, 2023. "I didn't plan it. It was an opportunity," the man stated at the trial. A few days after being smuggled out of Turkey, the accused began committing burglaries in Austria.

Yes, I saw how old the woman was. I was not in my right mind. Because of the drugs I was taking.

Der Angeklagte im Prozess im Wiener Landl

The assault in the pensioner's home went as follows: first the asylum seeker, armed with a kitchen knife, snatched the rings and watch from his victim, then he raped her. According to the prosecution, he then locked the disabled woman, who has since died, in her apartment and turned on the tap in the bathroom. "You saw how old the lady was?" asks the prosecutor. "Yes, but I wasn't in my right mind. Because of the drugs I was taking," claimed the man, who had posed as a minor under an alias when he arrived in Austria.

The 28-year-old in the Vienna Regional Court.

(Bild: Anja Richter, Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Defendant went for another coffee
"The next day I saw her bag and realized what I had done. I don't believe myself that I did all this. I feel guilty," he affirms. There was no sign of this on the day of the crime. While the elderly victim lay locked up on the 6th floor, the perpetrator went to the cafeteria of the apartment building.

Trial against Algerian who raped a 92-year-old woman in Vienna.

(Bild: Zwefo)

A care worker tearfully recounts the moments when she found the 92-year-old after the crime: "She was sitting on the edge of the bed wearing only a sweater, she was upset and shaking." According to another employee, the victim kept saying: "He had a knife. He had a knife!" It was only then that the residence attendant realized that someone must have been in the room. 

Expert witness: "Serious bodily harm"
Court psychiatrist Peter Hofmann reports a shock reaction with typical sequelae such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which the 92-year-old suffered as a result of the crime: "This is tantamount to grievous bodily harm. In terms of the psyche alone," says Hofmann. The perpetrator was sane: "He chased the lady, got into the elevator with her and went to the 6th floor. After the crime, he left with the loot," summarizes the expert. The man had also committed numerous car break-ins and assumed a false identity: "This is an overall concert of criminal acts with a high level of criminal energy. Since no mental illness is responsible for this," it was not necessary to place the accused in a forensic therapy center.  

Court psychiatrist Peter Hofmann examined the 28-year-old.

(Bild: Groh Klemens)

Details of the deceased victim's statement, which Judge Corinna Huber will read out during the trial, will be omitted here. It must have been terrible and painful minutes for the old woman. The 28-year-old was charged with rape, aggravated robbery, deprivation of liberty, damage to property and commercial theft. The sentence was handed down at 1 p.m.: 13 years in prison, not legally binding. The man's possible deportation will therefore be many years away.