Trial in Innsbruck

“And suddenly I had a bottle in my throat”

A Somali man (26) attacked a 44-year-old Tyrolean man with a broken glass bottle during an argument in Innsbruck's Bogenmeile. Now the man had to stand trial. But was the crime an attempted murder?

Serious bodily harm, sexual abuse of a defenceless person - and attempted murder: the list of charges that the 26-year-old has to face in court in Innsbruck is long. However, the incident that took place in the "Bögen" at around 4 a.m. on August 5, 2023 is the most serious.

15-centimetre-long cuts
The 26-year-old got into an argument with a local outside a pub, probably due to a lot of alcohol and drugs. After his opponent threw a punch, the Somali man grabbed a glass bottle and broke it on the edge of the sidewalk, seriously injuring the 44-year-old. "In view of the 15-centimeter-long cuts in the neck area, it is a miracle that the victim is still alive," said the public prosecutor.

For the defense it was self-defense
The man's defense lawyer also admitted the assault itself: "In my opinion, however, it was self-defense". After all, his opponent had hit him hard first. His client had merely "wanted to scare him" and had not intentionally inflicted the injuries.

The Somali man had to take his seat in court.(Bild: Stegmayr Markus, Krone KREATIV)

"Heavily intoxicated and in poor condition"
The reconstruction of the crime with the defendant was subsequently lengthy. The man, who stated that he regularly consumed large quantities of alcohol and cocaine, emphasized that he was heavily drunk and in a bad state that night. "I must have become quite aggressive after the punch", he admitted after repeated questions.

Defendant had "lost control"
 When asked by the presiding judge Norbert Hofer whether he knew what such an attack could do, he finally said that "it can be fatal". He also described his emotional state on the night of the attack, saying that he had "lost control" during the altercation and had "snapped". This was also confirmed by the man questioned as a witness, who was seriously injured by the accused during the "bows": "It all happened very quickly and I already had the bottle in my throat." He had "no recollection" of the reasons for the dispute and the exact sequence of events, partly due to his high level of alcoholization.

Verdict expected on Wednesday
A forensic medical report has been scheduled for Wednesday. Finally, the jury will have to decide on the man's guilt or innocence on Wednesday.