Extreme violence on the subway

Savage beating after complaint about loud cell phone

A 30-year-old man was sentenced for an escalation of violence in a streetcar at Linz Provincial Court.

(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

Every public transport passenger knows them: Passengers whose cell phones fill the entire car with noise. When someone complained, an unemployed man went completely berserk, brutally beat him up and stole his wallet. He was sentenced for this on Thursday at Linz Provincial Court.  

Loudspeaker telephones, loud music or playing noises from cell phones cause annoyance on public transport every day. On the night of November 16th last year, a passenger on a streetcar in Linz finally had enough of the behavior of a 30-year-old unemployed man and asked him to turn down his cell phone.

Did not let go of the victim
What followed was beyond imagination: the unemployed man went completely berserk. He savagely beat the passenger on the streetcar, causing him serious injuries. When the victim left the train, he was pursued by the furious 30-year-old. After a short time, he beat up the passenger again and also took his wallet containing 50 euros in cash, his driver's license, e-card, ATM card and credit card. 

Several skull fractures
The 30-year-old was so brutal that his victim suffered several fractures to his skull. Bone fragments on the frontal sinus wall were displaced by almost a centimeter by the blows, and a blood pool formed in the frontal sinus. The passenger also suffered a fracture of the left eye socket.

Two years in prison
Contrary to the indictment, the Rabiate was not convicted of aggravated robbery in addition to aggravated assault, but of aggravated theft. The jury agreed on two years' imprisonment, eight months of which were conditional. The sentence is already final.