Trial in Feldkirch

Violent offender is committed

The defendant does not have his aggression under control.

(Bild: Dorn Chantall)

A 32-year-old man had attacked several people in Vorarlberg with a knife within a few months. On Monday, he had to answer for his actions at Feldkirch Regional Court. 

The man, who has three previous convictions, had committed a whole series of crimes within three months last year, including coercion, dangerous threats, grievous bodily harm, blackmail and deprivation of liberty. Seven out of eight cases involved random victims. At Rankweil railroad station, for example, he hit a passer-by with his bicycle. When the passer-by confronted him, the accused grabbed him by the back of the neck and inflicted a serious cut on his thumb with a knife. A similar incident occurred in Sulz. There too, the victim confronted the man and was punished with several punches to the face.

During a food theft in Dornbirn, the 32-year-old even had a dagger with a blade length of eleven centimetres with him so that he could defend himself if necessary. The unpredictable man also put a young woman in Götzis in mortal fear: after consuming drugs together, he initially locked the fugitive acquaintance in her room and finally forced her to withdraw money from the ATM and hand it over to him. Otherwise he would stab her.

Institutionalized for personality disorder
The presiding judge, Alexander Wehinger, found the 32-year-old guilty of grievous bodily harm and sentenced him to two years in prison. In addition, a conditional prison sentence of one month was revoked. However, he does not have to go to prison: the panel of lay judges followed the recommendation of court expert Reinhard Haller to commit the defendant to a forensic therapy center due to his personality disorder. Otherwise, according to Haller, further dangerous acts could be expected.