AI Images, GPS Tracking, and Arson: Two Years Imprisonment for Stalker in Lower Austria

A 43-year-old was sentenced on Wednesday at the St. Pölten Regional Court for stalking and arson to 24 months, with 16 months suspended, although the verdict is not yet legally binding. The defendant confessed to attaching GPS trackers to vehicles, sending threatening messages, and publicly placing AI-generated sexually explicit images. To portray himself as a victim, he set fire to his residence in the St. Pölten district.

"Blew my fuses" - Boss searches for stalking instructions on the internet

The trigger for the actions is considered to be an insult: A former employee of the defendant, who worked as a manager at an educational institution, did not want to enter into a relationship with him and had a new partner. "She wanted no contact from one day to the next. That must have blown my fuses," said the accused. Subsequently, the 43-year-old searched the internet for instructions on how to stalk someone, said the prosecutor. The defendant began to "make life hell" for the woman and her male acquaintances.

GPS tracking and humiliating AI images

In February, he attached GPS trackers to his own vehicle as well as to the cars of the female victim and her partner, reported the defendant, who was defended by Rudolf Mayer. He was less concerned with stalking, but rather with "staying in contact by portraying myself as a victim": "It was like a bad play."

From mid-April, he sent AI-generated messages via email and SMS. Furthermore, he created fake profiles from which he also sent threats, as well as - also using AI - sexually explicit images, which he posted in the woman's residential community on her child's school route and at his own workplace. The prosecutor stated that the female victim was "severely impaired in her entire life" by the defendant.

Perpetrator set his own house on fire

"The last stage of escalation was arson," reported the defendant. Previously, he had placed grave candles in front of the woman's house and her partner's house and threatened to set a fire. Finally, at the end of June, he committed arson at his own residential address, which likely took on a larger scale than intended. He placed a lit candle in a shed, and the flames spread to a woodpile and the roof truss. He is said to have announced further arson via email.

Ultimately, the 43-year-old, initially considered a victim, was identified as a suspect and arrested on July 4, followed by pre-trial detention. During a search of his office, a prepaid phone was secured, on which the messages were found. The man lost his job - according to him, he was dismissed.

Expert Report Diagnoses Personality Disorder

An expert report attests the 43-year-old with a personality accentuation that developed into a personality disorder at the time of the crime. "It was like a spiral," reported the defendant. He is undergoing psychotherapy to be able to recognize "exit points" in the future. During the trial, 13,000 euros in compensation for pain and suffering were handed over in cash to the female victim and 2,000 euros to the male victim. A total of 11,000 euros was handed over for other individuals. In his closing words, the 43-year-old apologized to the victims: "I am infinitely sorry and it is certainly the biggest mistake of my life so far."

The Lower Austrian was convicted in the jury trial, among other things, for persistent stalking, dangerous threats, and arson. Additionally, he must pay 580 euros to the male victim. With further claims, the private parties were referred to civil court. The 43-year-old must adhere to a comprehensive contact ban and was ordered to undergo psychotherapy.

It involves a multitude of offenses and "the criminal energy is extremely high" because the defendant has a personality disorder, said the presiding judge. The resulting diminished culpability was, therefore - alongside the confession, the previously orderly lifestyle, and the restitution of damages - the most significant mitigating factor in sentencing. Because the prosecution filed an appeal, the verdict is not final.

(APA/Red)

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