Investigation discontinued

Dog box case: no trial against social worker

The then 12-year-old was tortured in this dog crate.

(Bild: AR, Krone KREATIV)

There was consternation at Krems District Court in February 2024 when two social workers reported as witnesses on the visits to the home of the mother who had locked her twelve-year-old son in a dog box. They did not intervene, even though the child's condition was dramatic. Now the bombshell: the investigation by the public prosecutor's office in Krems (Lower Austria) against the employees of the authorities has been dropped.

The "Krone" reported in detail on the terrible torture case: twelve-year-old Gerhard (name changed) had lost around 30 kilos in 2022, was extremely hypothermic and almost died as a result of the actions of his mother and her sadistic girlfriend. Both were sentenced to long prison terms and institutional care. The videos that were shown during the trial against the two women were abhorrent - the boy cowered on the floor, emaciated and trembling, barely able to move.

The boy's mother is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Her accomplice was sentenced to 14 years.

(Bild: Anja Richter)

Catastrophic conditions in the apartment
At the time, the social workers - a man and a woman - were on the lookout after a concerned teacher raised the alarm. She had phoned the district authority in Waidhofen an der Thaya five times before any inspections were carried out. Although the boy had his arms bandaged and only answered in monosyllables, there was no one-to-one conversation with him. There was neither a nursery nor a bed, and the social workers did not look in the fridge. It was freezing cold in the apartment and it stank of urine.

This time the plan report went through
The public prosecutor's office had already sent a preliminary report to the senior public prosecutor's office and the ministry once before, but the public prosecutor was instructed to carry out further investigations. For example, the boy's father, who was not informed of his son's poor condition, was questioned by the police. It is now clear that the investigation into abuse of authority has been dropped. 

The case continues to be dealt with at civil court level. Victim advocate Timo Ruisinger filed a lawsuit against the state of Lower Austria with the Krems regional court in November of last year. The total amount in dispute is 180,000 euros.