Long prison sentence

9 stabs with a screwdriver in the throat and neck

The Linz lawyer Andreas Mauhart defended the accused.

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel/Pressefoto Scharinger © Daniel Scharinger)

Two former owners of a pizza and kebab restaurant in Ried im Innkreis (Upper Austria) got into a violent and bloody argument in April, which ended with a life-threatening screwdriver attack. The perpetrator has to spend a long time in prison. However, the verdict is not yet final.

They had run a pizza and kebab restaurant together in Ried im Innkreis, but there were always arguments - over money, of course. The situation escalated, and on Tuesday a 37-year-old guest worker from Turkey stood trial in Ried Regional Court - for attempted murder.

Debate ended in bloodshed
On April 28 of this year, the 37-year-old defendant and his later victim (34) wanted to meet again for a discussion, but the situation escalated very quickly. There was a scuffle during which he felt pain and feared that the other person had a knife, so he grabbed the screwdriver, the accused described the dramatic situation.

Victim critically injured
The consequences were life-threatening. The 37-year-old stabbed the victim nine times and - when he was already lying on the ground - stabbed him once more in the shoulder blade, the public prosecutor's office stated. In total, he stabbed the 34-year-old in the throat/neck area seven times and he was in intensive care for several days.

Act can be seen on video
The short video from the surveillance camera shown in court showed that a scuffle broke out immediately and that the victim was still able to swear and walk away afterwards. The 37-year-old's father-in-law testified that the victim had a bad reputation in the Turkish community. According to an agreement, his son-in-law should have left the business and the partner should have paid back his debts on an ongoing basis. Another witness, who later came into the room, pulled the 37-year-old away from the 34-year-old. The attack only ended when he intervened.

Long prison sentence
The sentence: 11 years unconditional imprisonment for attempted murder. However, the sentence is not final. The defense lawyer filed for nullity, the public prosecutor's office made no statement.