Prison Sentence and Commitment After Brutal Knife Attack in Front of Venue at Vienna's Danube Canal

For a knife attack in front of a venue at the Danube Canal in Vienna-Alsergrund in the early morning hours of April 13, a 20-year-old received an additional sentence of four years and nine months for intentionally causing serious bodily harm on Tuesday. The jury unanimously denied the attempted murder charge. Additionally, the woman will be admitted to a forensic-therapeutic center.

Victim Severely Injured in Knife Attack in Front of Vienna Venue

While the defendant accepted the verdict, the prosecutor made no statement. Since the woman had recently received a three-month sentence from a district court for theft, an additional sentence was imposed. She had already served this during pre-trial detention. However, a further three months from a conditional release were revoked, so the 20-year-old now has to serve a total of five years.

The Viennese woman stabbed the victim three times in the shoulder and back. The victim suffered severe injuries. The defendant partially pleaded guilty. The 20-year-old, who was charged under juvenile criminal law as a young adult, admitted that an argument had occurred on the towpath with the 27-year-old. However, the accused claimed self-defense, as the woman had aggressively attacked her. All parties involved were intoxicated.

Defendant Claimed Self-Defense

The 20-year-old was out with a 24-year-old friend on the night in question in April, drinking vodka, and the younger woman also consumed cocaine. At the venue on the Danube Canal, they encountered the 27-year-old, who had also been out all night and had been drinking heavily. The woman fell while descending to the venue, and the 20-year-old tried to help her up. For whatever reason, the 27-year-old did not respond kindly to the help, insulted and spat at the now accused, and attacked her. The 20-year-old initially pushed the woman away, but she got back up and allegedly - according to the accused - attacked her again. "I was scared," the defendant told the jury (presided over by Andreas Hautz). The 20-year-old pulled out a folding knife she was carrying in her bra and stabbed three times.

The 27-year-old suffered damage to the right shoulder blade, a major muscle, and a muscle artery. Additionally, the chest cavity was opened, leading to bleeding. According to forensic pathologist Christoph Reisinger, the injuries were severe and "potentially life-threatening" until the patient was admitted to the hospital. "Untreated, there would definitely have been a risk to life," said the expert. Only after a twelve-day hospital stay could the patient be discharged and had to take painkillers until recently due to the severe injuries. "It takes quite a bit of intensity to pierce the shoulder blade," said the forensic pathologist. The friend prevented the 20-year-old from doing more.

20-Year-Old Fled After Crime, Identified Through Videos

"That it was a huge mistake, unnecessary, and the wrong reaction, she has been grappling with since the first day in custody," said the defender of the 20-year-old, Lukas Hruby. "A push, a punch would have sufficed." But: "There is no cold-blooded killer sitting here," said the lawyer. Here sits a middle school dropout with an extremely low educational level. She did not remotely think in the situation that these stabs would have such consequences. In pre-trial detention, his client has already started anti-violence training. Because the 20-year-old was only conditionally released from custody in January for attempted intentional serious bodily harm.

After the crime, the two friends fled. They disposed of the knife in a trash can. Then they went to the restroom of a subway station to wash their bloody hands. It was not until May 6 that the woman could be identified due to the evaluation of the video surveillance.

Commitment Requested

The prosecution additionally requested a commitment to a forensic-therapeutic center along with a conviction. According to the psychiatric expert Peter Hofmann, the young woman suffers from a persistent, severe, combined personality disorder that influenced the crime. Additionally, the 20-year-old has a borderline disorder that had led to severe self-harm. She was accountable during the attack, but there is a great danger that she will commit acts with serious consequences in the foreseeable future. Therefore, Hofmann believes the conditions for commitment under Paragraph 21/2 are met.

The victim could not remember the crime. She was found to have 1.82 per mille of alcohol in her blood at the hospital. "Why did I even go there that evening," she asked herself in her testimony in court. She joined the proceedings as a private party and receives 7,36.41 euros in compensation for pain and suffering from the defendant.

(APA/Red)

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