False Teacher in Upper Austria Sentenced to Three Months Probation

He was found guilty of forgery of particularly protected documents and fraudulently obtaining a position. The sentence does not appear on any criminal record certificate, so as not to hinder his professional future, emphasized the single judge.

In several federal states, the accused is said to have applied to the respective education directorate or the city school council as a secondary school teacher and presented forged certificates from 2005 - quite successfully. In the 2010/11 school year, he was employed in Vienna for half a year. From 2017, he taught in Upper and Lower Austria, most recently in Steyr. However, there were no complaints about his teaching.

Future Built on a "Shaky Foundation"

The prosecutor emphasized that the accused had built his professional future "on a shaky foundation." He had shown "a certain degree of criminal energy." Several times, he applied over a longer period with the forged certificates. The prosecutor therefore ruled out a diversion. Not least because he was not unknown to the court, as he had already received diversions. However, due to his remorseful confession, he advocated for a lenient sentence.

The judge also justified the guilty verdict with the remark that the case reminded her of the film "Fack ju Göhte."

Case Exposed Due to Loss of Wallet

The whole thing was exposed in Upper Austria when the 48-year-old lost his wallet last summer. It was handed over to the police. In the wallet, the authorities found, among other things, a fake police ID, which he allegedly made only for carnival and had kept at the very back of his wallet for years, and several university IDs. An investigation was launched, and it was discovered that the owner of the wallet had also forged his certificates.

The defense attorney emphasized that his client was "popular among students" and a "good teacher," which he supported with written feedback from parents. "Our country needs teachers" like his client, and it would "not be sensible to kill the teacher's ambition and diligence for general prevention," he advocated for a diversion.

His Goal: To Work as a Teacher Again

He was "very sorry" for everything, the defendant assured. In the seventh semester, he was expelled due to missing internships. However, he always wanted to be a teacher, and he enjoyed working with the students, he tried to explain the forgeries. It is still his wish that "I can work as a teacher again."

(APA/Red)

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