Attacked cashier

Schizophrenic Turk attacked cashier with bottle

The defendant was only marginally interested in what was happening in the courtroom.

(Bild: Chantal Dorn, Krone KREATIV)

Trial in Feldkirch (Vorarlberg): Despite proven schizophrenia, the defendant refused all offers of therapy from the judge. In the end, he was sentenced to three months in prison and a fine.

The 50-year-old defendant has already proven in the past that his violent behavior poses a danger to himself and others. After his most recent outburst in a supermarket in Wolfurt in December, the man was forcibly admitted to Rankweil LKH but released again. This was despite an earlier psychiatric report stating that the accused suffers from schizophrenia.

However, based on all the medical documents, including the outpatient sheet, university professor Reinhard Haller came to the conclusion that the accused was at least partially sane when he committed the crime in December, which is why he recommended outpatient therapy.

But the accused did not want to know anything about this at the trial on Tuesday in Feldkirch. "I don't need any help," the accused told Judge Marco Mazzia. "But the doctor sees it differently. So either anti-violence training or a doctor," suggested the counselor. But the man also rejects this option. He also refuses to make use of probation assistance.

Disinterested and uncooperative
In general, the long-term unemployed man doesn't seem to be interested in the whole event. He answers questions about his financial and private circumstances with "Maybe" or "I don't know". He doesn't want to say anything about the incident in the supermarket. Instead, he picks his fingers boredly and stares at holes in the room.

On December 14 in the supermarket in Wolfurt, he proved that the man sitting in the dock can be more than just apathetic. A video recording shows the aggressive man running towards the checkout with several beer bottles and smashing one after the other on the conveyor belt. Shortly afterwards, he makes stabbing motions towards the cashier with a broken bottle neck and then flees from the store. Fortunately, the victim himself remains unharmed.

The attacker was arrested by the police shortly afterwards and later taken to Rankweil Regional Hospital. When questioned by the police, the 50-year-old stated "frustration" as his motive for the crime: the state had taken away his ATM card and now he didn't even have enough money for cigarettes. 

Three months conditional imprisonment and a fine
After the defendant refused all of the judge's well-intentioned help, public prosecutor Sarah Nenning demanded a guilty verdict and the revocation of the conditional suspended sentence from the last conviction, explaining her reasons as follows: "It is regrettable that the defendant refuses all support. On the other hand, a condition imposed will fail for reasons of expediency if the defendant does not cooperate."

Prosecutor Sarah Nenning.

(Bild: Chantall Dorn)

Three months' conditional imprisonment and a fine of 800 euros is the final sentence, which is not yet legally binding. The council refrains from revoking the sentence, but extends the probation period to five years. In addition, the offender, who is resistant to counseling, will be assigned a probation officer.