Chair thrown and punched?

Curious trial: lawyer raged on the sunbathing lawn

The respected academic and his wife have to sit in the dock at the Krems regional court.

(Bild: Patrick Huber)

In July 2024, a Viennese academic couple were looking for a quiet evening in the green Kampbad (Lower Austria). An argument with a group of young footballers ended in court for the 63-year-old and his wife. The university lecturer is said to have lost his temper and hit one of the Lower Austrians. 

A beautiful summer evening at the Kampbad in Langenlois (Lower Austria) - but for an elderly couple it ended in a trial at Krems Regional Court. The two Viennese - he a respected lecturer at law faculties, she a retired teacher - took a trip to the countryside on July 17. The accused doctor begins to explain in court in a nasal voice: "Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a particularly communicative person. My aim was to be as secluded as possible."

Soccer match as the end of the dispute?
However, a group of young footballers on the sunbathing lawn threw a spanner in the works for the 63-year-old. "There are actually playing areas that the group didn't use," criticizes the lawyer. "But there you go, live and let live. But we had every right to set up camp there." The kickers were told to be careful not to hit the couple, so they set up their deckchairs. However, the game soon ended.

It was quite clear that this was an act of revenge because we had interrupted the game.

63-jähriger Jurist auf der Anklagebank in Krems (NÖ)

The versions differ. The academic testifies: "Then the private party hobbled up with his deckchair and sat down right in front of my wife. It was quite clear that this was an act of revenge because we had interrupted the game." There was no way he was going to put up with that. "I threw the chair away once, maybe twice, because he kept putting it back," he tries to justify. His wife was already completely frightened.

Wife allegedly gave false testimony
This was followed by a push against the younger bather - and finally there would have been a punch. As a result, the 63-year-old is now sitting before a judge for assault and damage to property - the victim's sunglasses had been broken. Next to him is his wife, who would have given false evidence to the police: "He pushed the young man. He threw the chair. That's all true. But nothing else happened."

The doctor also continues to deny the punch in the dock: "It's possible that I wasn't overly friendly." He continues indignantly: "A little more caution about what you do with frivolous accusations would be desirable." He is currently in the middle of an application process for a senior international position. Such a procedure would certainly not improve his chances. 

"This is a free lawn"
The victim - a two-metre tall, broadly built Lower Austrian - has a completely different view of the summer evening. After playing soccer, they would have gone back to their camp as a group. "We then wandered out of the sun a little closer to the accused in the shade. The man said that we certainly wouldn't sit there because of their privacy. But this is an open lawn." A discussion was followed by several chair throws and finally a punch in the eye. This is also the accusation made by the public prosecutor's office in Krems. 

The 63-year-old's defence lawyer sharply criticizes this: "In my opinion, simply relying on the witness statements is not enough." Especially as no uninvolved persons had witnessed the incident. The judge adjourns the trial for more clarity and further motions for evidence.