Trial in Feldkirch

Family man allegedly abused child

On the first day of the trial, the accused vehemently denied having assaulted the girl.

(Bild: Dorn Chantall/Krone KREATIV)

Since Wednesday, a 54-year-old man has been on trial for sexual abuse of a six-year-old girl before the jury of the Feldkirch Regional Court. 

Lawyer Clemens Achhammer speaks of unfounded accusations against his client. The accused himself spoke of slander on the part of the victim, who was only six years old at the time, and his relatives. "I am a person of faith. I would never commit such a terrible act. God is my witness," he therefore made clear right at the beginning of the trial before the panel of lay judges at the Feldkirch Regional Court.

Public prosecutor Johannes Hartmann has a completely different view of the case: he accuses the man, who lives in the same Feldkirch housing estate as the victim's family, of taking the opportunity to approach the six-year-old girl in the playground in the summer of 2023. The accused allegedly ran his hand down the child's underpants three times and fondled her private parts. However, the girl's parents only found out about the alleged sexual assault months later - from the parents of a neighboring boy in whom the child had confided at some point. The 54-year-old was then reported to the police, and charges were brought after the investigation was completed.

The public has been excluded from the hearing of the victim. Further witnesses must now be heard over the next few days of the trial. The trial will continue on April 25. The child's mother is also due to testify then. The accused is presumed innocent.