Trial in Feldkirch

Brother beaten to death with a wooden stick

Thanks to therapy, there is a good chance that the man will get his life back under control.

(Bild: Dorn Chantall/Krone KREATIV)

A drunk man from Oberland attacks his ex-partner. When his brother intervenes, he hits him over the head with a wooden mallet. 

The accused had been battling his demons - alcohol and drugs - for years. These are apparently partly to blame for his aggressive behavior and the resulting crimes, which have earned him four relevant previous convictions in the past. Twelve months' imprisonment are still outstanding from the most recent conviction in April 2023. If he is found guilty in the current case, he faces revocation of the suspended sentence. This time, the unemployed man is accused of coercion and assault. The victims are his ex-partner and his brother. Drunk and under the influence of benzodiazepines, the aggressive man suddenly turns up at his ex's apartment in Oberland to collect debts from her and get his things. An argument ensues.

"If the victims say so, it will be true"
When the ex pulls the woman by the hair and the brother, who is also present, intervenes, the accused hits him over the head with a wooden bat. For the victim, the assault ends mildly with bumps and a laceration. Although the accused emphasized during the trial at Feldkirch Regional Court that he could no longer remember the incident due to his condition at the time, he pleaded guilty. "If the victims say so, it will be true," he says. Judge Silke Wurzinger found him guilty of coercion and assault because, according to the expert opinion, he was sane at the time of the crime.

Nevertheless, he receives a lenient sentence of six months' probation. He also has to pay his brother 720 euros for the laceration he suffered. The old suspended sentence of one year is not revoked. Instead, the probation period was extended to five years. The judge justified her lenient sentence with the fact that the defendant has successfully completed inpatient therapy for his addiction since the incident and is now receiving outpatient care. He has also been assigned a counselor as part of his professional integration. "You have done nothing wrong since the incident. I can see that you are on the right path," the judge concluded the hearing. The verdict is already final.