Violence and Stalking: No Outcome in Trial in Carinthia

Because of letters submitted at short notice, which the accused had written to his estranged wife from custody despite the contact ban, as well as disputed translations from Albanian, the trial was adjourned after five hours.

Handcuffs Clicked Last Year

According to prosecutor Barbara Baum, the period of the violence extends over ten years before the woman confided in an AMS advisor, who secured her a place in a women's shelter in the summer of 2024. However, the woman's ordeal, who according to her own statements was already beaten and threatened by her husband before their wedding in 2014, later had little contact with friends and family, and was video-monitored in her apartment, did not end there. The husband allegedly stalked her for hours in front of the women's shelter and tried to contact her and the children there. In the fall of 2024, the handcuffs clicked for him, and the accused has been in pre-trial detention since then.

In the hearing scheduled for five and a half hours under the chairmanship of Judge Gerhard Pöllinger-Sorré, the accused denied the continued violence and admitted to only one incident of violence. The couple lived in Wels until the end of 2022, but then moved to Carinthia, where he allegedly increasingly isolated the woman according to the indictment. The accused admitted to the persistent stalking when she was already living in the women's shelter and apologized. He claimed to have been in an exceptional situation and wanted to save his relationship.

Adjournment of Trial in Carinthia

The questioning of the wife was eventually prolonged because the wife's lawyer, Alexandra Slama, only presented letters on Wednesday that the accused had written to his wife from custody - despite the contact ban. Since the translations were made by the wife herself and were questioned by the defense (Philipp Tschernitz with an Albanian-speaking colleague), the new translation created on-site by an interpreter did not clarify ambiguous phrases that could be understood as threats to the woman depending on the interpretation.

Since the summoned witnesses had not yet been questioned after five hours and the court also wants to question the nine-year-old son with the help of an expert, have the letters translated, and evaluate the accused's computer, the trial was adjourned. The release application submitted by the defense was rejected by the judge, citing the risk of flight and reoffending. "His family is more important to him than any legal compliance," Pöllinger-Sorré summarized his assessment. He advised the accused: "Stop engaging in literary activities! These letters are largely to blame for you remaining in custody." A prompt next date is to be sought.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.