One year after the trial

Not only Teichtmeister has gone quiet

Florian Teichtmeister at his trial on September 5, 2023

(Bild: APA/Roland Schlager)

Exactly one year ago to the day, Florian Teichtmeister had to stand trial for mass child abuse material. The former TV commissioner and actor has now served half of his sentence, which he is serving in prison. Things have gone quiet since then - but not just for Teichtmeister himself.

On September 5, 2023, he was sentenced to two years' conditional imprisonment by the jury. What has happened since the sensational trial in Vienna Landl can be described quickly: It has become quiet.

Quiet around the former actor, who had hoped to get away with a diversion after the case came to light. In this case, Teichtmeister would probably still be performing on the big stages, because without criminal proceedings in court, the details would probably never have been revealed.

The Teichtmeister case at a glance

• September 10, 2021: The "Krone" reports on a search of a castle actor's home.
• January 13, 2023: The indictment becomes public.
• February 8, 2023: The trial falls through.
• March 21, 2023: The judge commissions a supplementary expert opinion.
• July 11, 2023: The charges are extended.
• September 5, 2023: Two years in prison during the trial

However, the fight against child abuse material also went quiet. While politicians had declared war on the international abuse mafia in the months leading up to the trial, nothing more is heard about it or the countless underage victims during the current election campaign.

Child protection package adopted
Nevertheless, the high-profile case led to the National Council unanimously passing a child protection package last year. In addition to renaming the offense to the unwieldy term "pictorial sexual child abuse material", the amendments to the Criminal Code include an increase in the penalties.

Damages case still ongoing
The case before the Labor and Social Court is still ongoing. The Burgtheater had sued its former figurehead for damages and was moderately successful in the first instance: of the almost 100,000 euros demanded, the judge only awarded the Haus am Ring 19,231 euros - the appeal proceedings are still ongoing.

During the hearing at the labor and social court in April, Teichtmeister told the judge that he was looking for work. Whether this has been successful in the meantime is uncertain.