Expert opinion exonerates

Blind man (50) allegedly abused 13-year-old boy

Abuse is said to have occurred in the Vienna Stadionbad.

(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

Huge uproar in Vienna's Stadionbad in mid-August: guests took the law into their own hands against a 50-year-old man after suspected abuse of a young boy (13). Two expert reports have now decisively exonerated the man - he is almost completely blind.

It was a frightening report that went through the media in mid-August: a 13-year-old boy was allegedly threatened with being killed by a man (50). In a shower in Vienna's Stadionbad, the accused allegedly asked the youngster to perform sexual acts on himself and then on him. 

Young victims in another outdoor pool 
The case is reminiscent of shocking events at the "Aqua Splash" outdoor pool in Traiskirchen (Lower Austria). In June, two Afghans groped a total of six young bathers aged between nine and 13 in the underwater whirlpool. In court in Wiener Neustadt, the two defendants admitted to the shocking abuse ...

Accused almost blind according to expert opinion
However, while the two were not finally sentenced to 18 months in prison, there was a surprising twist in the case of the 50-year-old alleged sex offender: an expert opinion found that the accused is completely blind in one eye and has only one-fortieth of his vision in the other.

Lawyer Daniel Strauss is representing the almost blind man.

(Bild: Zwefo)

According to the expert witness, he would not have been able to tell whether the boy in the shower at the stadium pool was under 14 years old. And the accused rape was also not very plausible due to his client's condition, according to defense lawyer Daniel Strauss. Especially as a DNA expert opinion also exonerates the Viennese: Genetic material of the 13-year-old was namely not found on the accused.

We now hope that the proceedings will be dropped quickly. The case impressively shows that there is no place for vigilante justice in a constitutional state like Austria.

Anwalt Daniel Strauss

As there is no longer any urgent suspicion of the crime, the 50-year-old is now free again after a month and a half in custody. The allegations of abuse in the stadium pool seem to have vanished into thin air. Lawyer Strauss even expects the case to be dropped before it even comes to a trial. However, the investigations are still ongoing.

It is also unclear whether the accused Viennese will become a victim in other proceedings. After the alleged incident in the shower at the outdoor pool, a violent commotion broke out on the sunbathing lawn. Several guests attacked the 50-year-old - he suffered seven broken ribs. However, he has not yet pressed charges, according to defense lawyer Daniel Strauss.