Trial in Feldkirch

Influencer convicted of rape

(Bild: Chantal Dorn, Krone KREATIV)

The man from Vorarlberg was 15 at the time, his two victims 14 years old and deeply in love with the influencer. The "internet star" is said to have exploited the girls' infatuation by raping them. The perpetrator was sentenced to prison at the Feldkirch Regional Court on Thursday.

The 19-year-old defendant had maintained his innocence until the end and claimed that he had not raped the two girls, who were underage at the time, in 2020 and 2021. The sex had been consensual. After a trial lasting almost ten hours, during which the public was excluded, the verdict was finally reached on Thursday evening at the court of lay assessors in Feldkirch: guilty as charged! The presiding judge of the senate, Sabrina Tagwercher, convicted the man of rape and coercion and gave him a partially conditional prison sentence of 18 months, of which he only has to serve six months, the rest was suspended. She also awarded the two victims compensation for pain and suffering in the amount of 8,000 and 2,500 euros respectively.

"The girls were in love with you"
The judge based the verdict on the lengthy investigation and the credibility of the two victims' statements. However, she considered the defendant's assertion that the sex had been consensual to be an "implausible claim." In her remarks, the chairwoman referred once again to individual statements and summarized: "The girls were in love with you, the great influencer, at the time. The chat messages and phone calls also prove that. You called yourself a wanker and portrayed your behavior as macho. If you get what you want, the girls are 'good girls'."

Brutal approach
One of the victims still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder since the horrific crime. It was also the girl who reported the incident to the police. The decisive factor was a phone call between her and the accused one day before the crime. The influencer is said to have asked the girl whether she dreamed of being raped one day. The heinous act followed the next day, when he first touched the girl in her private parts. When the minor resisted, he pulled down her pants, pushed her onto a couch and raped her. When the 14-year-old told him the next day about the trauma she had suffered as a result, the then 15-year-old influencer forced her to have sex with him again. Later, he also forced the minor to send him naked pictures, otherwise he would send spicy video material to her sister.

The presiding judge of the Senate, Sabrina Tagwercher.

(Bild: Chantall Dorn)

In February 2021, he then attacked a second underage victim, choking, slapping and then raping her. The verdict is not final. The defendant asked for three days to reflect. The public prosecutor made no statement.