Prison Sentences in Trial of Abused Vienna Teacher

The man from Iraq was found guilty of three sexual assaults on the woman, which the court classified as rape, sexual abuse of a defenseless person, and sexual coercion. Furthermore, the 15-year-old was also convicted of serious extortion of the victim, aggravated burglary, and attempted arson. On the night of January 16, 2025, he, along with the other two main defendants and a co-defendant 14-year-old, set a fire in the teacher's apartment.

Verdicts of Main Defendants in Case of Abused Vienna Teacher Not Final

The 17-year-old Romanian was found guilty of rape, attempted arson, and aggravated burglary, the 15-year-old Afghan of violation of sexual self-determination, theft, and attempted arson. The 14-year-old, who was only involved in setting the fire, received a final sentence of twelve months, four of which are unconditional. The sentences imposed on the three main defendants are not final.

A 17-year-old, who had put the teacher under massive pressure and threatened to publicize her consensual short-term sexual relationship with a then 16-year-old, received a final sentence of 18 months, six of which are unconditional. Another youth received a final sentence of four months unconditional. A 16-year-old was found guilty of burglary and property damage.

Vienna Teacher "Absolutely Credible" for Court

The guilty verdicts were based on the "absolutely credible statements" of the teacher, which were "in line with the evidence," as the presiding judge explained in the reasoning of the judgment. The statements of the defendants, who did not confess to the central allegations, were considered "protective claims."

The prosecutor used her closing argument to settle accounts with the defendants. "What happened here is the most serious crime." For the main defendants, she demanded "severe penalties." She emphasized that the evidence would "completely suffice to render a guilty verdict. Here, a person has experienced massive suffering in real life." The defendants showed "no remorse, no sense of guilt" and "a lack of empathy that is unparalleled." The teacher had testified "extremely credibly" seven times during the investigation into various parts of the indictment complex: "She described without contradiction that she became a victim of various crimes."

"Prosecutor: Situation Shamelessly Exploited"

The prosecutor emphasized that the main trial was not about moral questions. The woman had "made wrong decisions" that did not always "meet societal expectations": "But it is by no means about passing a moral judgment on the teacher." The defendants had engaged in "psychological terror" and put the teacher into a "downward spiral from which she could not escape": "She was in a panic about losing her reputation, her job, her existence." The defendants had "recognized her hopelessness and shamelessly exploited her predicament." A "threatening backdrop" was built against her.

The defenders did not accept this afterwards. "There were too many contradictions in the victim's account," said David Jodlbauer, who represents one of the three main defendants - a 15-year-old Iraqi. He appealed to the court to consider the principle of doubt, which is enshrined in the criminal code: "Do you consider the charge so likely that you can proceed with a conviction?" Only in this case should there be guilty verdicts. If there is the slightest doubt about their guilt, the defendants should be acquitted.

On the fourth day of the trial, some witnesses summoned ex officio and made by the defense were heard. First, the parents of the affected person spoke. A witness who works as a director's assistant at the school where the teacher was or is employed also testified.

Father: "I've never seen her so devastated"

"I've never seen her so devastated," the teacher's father initially stated. First, his daughter confided in her younger sister, then the parents also learned "what happened to her. That she was blackmailed, robbed, raped by a gang of youths. Drugs, violence, humiliation." Money was also stolen from her, once a piggy bank with 800 euros, then banknotes saved for a vacation from a handbag, the woman's father testified.

With "compromising photos," his daughter was put under pressure, the father described. His daughter did not want to go to the police because she feared that knowledge of her contacts with young people would spread at the school: "She thought it would end badly for her professionally. She was totally distraught." Then there was a period of calm, his daughter believed the defendants had lost interest in her. Nevertheless, she continued to be under pressure: "Her greatest fear was that it would come out. The shame. Her colleagues had blocked her. Apart from us, she had no one. She was socially isolated."

The main defendants - a 15-year-old Iraqi, a 17-year-old Romanian, and a 15-year-old Afghan - have been in pre-trial detention for eight months. They do not confess to the central allegations - including rape and sexual abuse - but admit to arson. In total, seven boys must answer to a jury, including a now 17-year-old former student of the teacher, with whom the woman allegedly had a brief consensual and therefore legally unobjectionable sexual relationship. The youth was 16 years old during this period. He is only accused of participating in the theft of the piggy bank from the teacher's apartment.

Rumors about Vienna teacher apparently circulated at school

At the school, rumors about a close relationship between the teacher and underage former students apparently began circulating at the start of the winter semester 2024/2025. This was suggested by the testimony of a director's assistant working at the educational institution, who was made a witness by a defender and was questioned at short notice. She had coincidentally met a student on the street during the summer holidays of 2024: "He told me that she (the teacher, note) invites young people to her place and has sexual intercourse with them." She was "naturally shocked," the boy, with whom she "had a trusting relationship," had "mentioned a few names."

She "thought about whether it was true," the witness further testified. It "sounded credible to me": "The boy has no reason not to tell me the truth." In the fall, former students came to the school and told similar stories: "The girls were very upset that an older lady, a teacher, invites boys to her place."

The public prosecutor's office has never initiated criminal investigations against the teacher. There was no evidence of misconduct by the woman in terms of any abuse of an authority relationship or other criminal provisions. The education directorate was tight-lipped on this topic. "Since this involves personal data, the education directorate for Vienna cannot provide information on the questions for data protection reasons," it said on Monday afternoon in response to an APA inquiry.

Youngest Defendant Partially Not Criminally Responsible During the Alleged Crime Period

With the knowledge of her consensual short-term sexual relationship with the 16-year-old, the teacher certainly made herself vulnerable to blackmail. According to the indictment, several accused put heavy pressure on her, took advantage of her apartment, and had the woman pay for food, tobacco, and drugs. There were also reportedly three sexual assaults. The youngest defendant, who according to the indictment was not directly involved, was still 13 at the time and therefore not criminally responsible.

This boy was also present when the 15-year-old main defendants broke into the woman's apartment on the night of January 16, 2025, and set it on fire. At this point, he had been 14 for just over two weeks, so he has to answer in court for his involvement in the arson.

The intruders were after jewelry and other valuables. After gathering their loot, they set fires in two places. The apartment was completely burned out. Only thanks to the quick intervention of the professional fire brigade was the spread of the flames to other parts of the multi-party building prevented.

Mother: "She Was Completely Threatened"

With the arson and the subsequent police investigations, what had previously happened to his daughter "could no longer be concealed. It all culminated in the arson," summarized the teacher's father in his testimony. "She was completely threatened, she was scared," the woman's mother confirmed afterward. She "did not want to hear the very violent stories."

The mother described the situation - her daughter's short-term consensual sexual relationship with the 16-year-old - completely differently from the now 17-year-old. He simply "came into the apartment," claimed the mother. However, the teacher herself admitted that she had contacted the teenager at a very late hour in an intoxicated state and invited him to her apartment, where consensual sex first occurred. "She never said they had a romantic relationship," insisted the mother during her questioning, "the word 'love' was never mentioned."

According to a psychiatric report obtained during the investigation, the woman suffered from chronic depression and post-traumatic stress disorder as a causal reaction to the sexual assaults.

(APA/Red)

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