Mitigating confession

Turnaround in the trial against DJ: “It was as she said”

The DJ was released from custody.

(Bild: Anja Richter)

There is a surprise at the beginning of the second day of the trial in Vienna. The accused trendy DJ, who had previously denied everything, now confesses to raping a 23-year-old woman in the toilet of a well-known Viennese club. For this crime and for sexual abuse of a defenceless person in two cases, the 29-year-old was sentenced to 32 months in prison, 22 of which were conditional.

Continuation of the trial against a Viennese DJ from the techno scene, who is accused of abuse and rape by several victims. Back in March, two young women filed a complaint against the DJ with the police, which set the investigation in motion.

"Victim suffered bruises"
A 23-year-old woman stated that the accused raped her in the toilet of a well-known Viennese club. She had gone to the toilet with him to consume drugs. According to the accuser, he pressed her head against the wall, pressed himself against the academic and injured her arm. The woman also repeated the accusations as a witness on the first day of the trial: "I still had bruises a week later." 

Philipp Springer (left) represents a victim, Sascha Flatz (right) defends the accused.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Klemens Groh, Martina Pewein)

At the start of the sentencing day, the accused surprises everyone. He wants to change his responsibility, he suddenly pleads guilty to the fact of rape. The victim's testimony had awakened his memories: "It was like she said," he confesses, "In the end, I grabbed her crotch and penetrated her with my finger. I'm so sorry about that." His lawyer Sascha Flatz affirms: "My client himself is shocked by what happened." He hands over 1000 euros in compensation to the victim's lawyer in the courtroom.

Relief outside the courtroom
Joy erupts outside the courtroom. The rape victim falls gratefully around the neck of her victim advocate, Philipp Springer.

The jury deliberates quickly: the 29-year-old is sentenced to 32 months in prison, ten months of which he must serve. "Having already spent three months in pre-trial detention, he still has seven months to go," says Flatz. Not legally binding.