Styrian (25) charged

Bouncer beat up guest: “Provoked me!”

A colleague of the bouncer had to answer for favoritism. He is said to have tried to influence a witness, which he denied.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

A bouncer has beaten a drunk guest who allegedly provoked him so severely in front of an après-ski bar in Styria that the 29-year-old has suffered severe permanent consequences ever since. On Tuesday, the 25-year-old stood in court in Leoben and said that he was sorry: "But we have to be strict."

"The victim suffered so many injuries that it is impossible for me to list them all," explained public prosecutor Christina Eixelsberger in her plea. In summary, his skull was crushed several times. "The man has massive limitations on the left side of his body and in both eyes. He cannot walk long distances and is scarred for life."

What had happened? Just over a year ago, the drunk 29-year-old hid a cigarette in his hand outside an après-ski bar and tried to enter. The bouncer caught him and maneuvered him outside with physical force. He pushed him over a step into the parking lot, his opponent fell to the ground and when he tried to get up, the bouncer punched him two to three times with force. According to witnesses, with his fist.

The victim suffered so many injuries that it is impossible for me to list them all.

Die Staatsanwältin

The sound of the impact remains in his memory
The diner's head hits the asphalt floor. "The sound of the head hitting the ground remained a lasting memory for the witnesses," the prosecutor paints a gruesome picture, "the victim was bleeding from the mouth and ears."

The defendant himself is of course sorry about the incident. "I was totally shocked when I saw the blood. And I immediately administered first aid." But: "He had already made fun of me beforehand with a glass that he shouldn't have taken outside. He laughed, insulted me and threatened me." - "Did you feel provoked?" Judge Doris Schmidhofer wants to know - "Yes, I did."

"Can't argue with everyone"
"Is it normal to grab someone by their clothes and drag them outside? You could have tried verbally?" the judge continued. No, it was not the usual procedure. But the guest had already received two warnings for the glass. "We can't argue with everyone. We have to be strict, otherwise we'll get into trouble with the boss." Besides, there is no warning for smoking anyway.

Even the many video recordings cannot explain why this escalation occurred on the stairs. "He wanted to attack me," the security guard asserts. "There was no aggression," replies the chairwoman. "The victim just wanted to get up." - "I didn't give him any room to attack me. He could have had a weapon."

There was no aggression. The victim just wanted to get up.

Die Richterin

The video then shows the defendant punching him from the bottom up. "I just pushed him with my hand." - "And I'm supposed to believe that? All the witnesses told the police that he had been punched in the face," emphasized the chairwoman. "Why would the witnesses lie?" - "Maybe they were also drunk," shrugs the defendant, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Trial adjourned
"Could it be that you were overwhelmed by the situation?" Schmidhofer wants to know. "Yes, yes," says the defendant. Normally there are always two bouncers outside, "but there was so much stress in the bar." Because some witnesses had not appeared, the judge finally had to adjourn the trial indefinitely.