Four years in prison

Four years in prison for rape

The defendant maintained his innocence.

(Bild: Dorn Chantall/Krone KREATIV)

A 44-year-old Romanian man had to answer for rape, aggravated coercion and assault at Feldkirch Regional Court on Wednesday. He is said to have abused his ex-wife for years. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

If the allegations made by the public prosecutor's office against the defendant are confirmed, his wife was the victim of years of martyrdom. Even before the 17-year marriage, the accused is said to have repeatedly beaten his wife, with whom he has two children. When she became pregnant for the third time in 2019, he forced her to have an abortion.

Threatens woman with blows to the stomach
Otherwise, he would punch her in the stomach until the child was born disabled. He also threatened to abduct the other two children to Romania. The woman then agreed to terminate the pregnancy. Because she was struggling with the situation, she went into psychotherapy.

Four years later, the couple divorced. The man moves to Germany with a new partner. But this is not the end of the ex-wife's torment. He threatens his ex with child abduction if she refuses to come back to him.

At one point, he drags her into the cellar and rapes her. His message: "You have to fulfill your duty as a wife, just like before!" If she told anyone about the incident, it would be even worse for her.

Accused denies the allegations
In his interrogation, the accused denied all the allegations. The relationship had been harmonious. He had known that she had been under psychiatric treatment due to being overwhelmed by the children. However, he himself had neither oppressed his wife nor ever physically abused her.

The treating psychotherapist on the witness stand had other things to say. The woman had come to his practice in August 2020 because of depression and suicidal thoughts. The patient had spoken about violence in her marriage and about being forced to have an abortion by the defendant at the time. Since her husband would only hit her with his hand instead of his fist, this was not a bad thing, the patient had once said during the therapy session. According to the therapist, this form of violence was "almost a matter of course" for her.

Four years in prison for the accused
The doctor who had performed the abortion on the woman testified on the witness stand that the patient had told him that her husband had been very violent, but that this had improved. However, she had insisted on the abortion because she did not want any stress. In the end, the court found the testimony of the victim and witnesses to be credible. The non-final verdict: four years in prison and 7,000 euros in compensation for partial pain and suffering for the victim.