Dispute over food
Attack with a cleaver: skull almost split open
A 46-year-old man is said to have attacked his flatmate with a cleaver out of immense anger at having his hair pulled out. He almost split the victim's skull open. The defendant in Vienna - he is accused of attempted murder - speaks of a self-defense situation.
An Indian man was incredibly lucky on October 22, 2023 - his roommate hit him in the forehead with a cleaver and could have split his victim's skull. The man suffered a ten-centimetre-long and two-centimetre-deep cut to his head. The attacker faces a charge of attempted murder in the Vienna provincial court.
Argument over stolen food escalated
The newspaper deliverer had been sharing an apartment with the later victim and a third person since last April. "It was a tense situation over a long period of time," defense lawyer Andreas Reichenbach explained to the jury. The victim is said to have regularly taken the 46-year-old's food. On the day of the incident, an argument is said to have escalated because of this.
The victim pulled out the defendant's hair. You should know that for Sikhs - the accused, who is also Indian, belongs to this religion - hair is sacred.
Staatsanwalt im Wiener Landesgericht
"The victim pulled out the defendant's hair. You must know that for Sikhs - the accused, who is also Indian, belongs to this religion - hair is sacred," said the public prosecutor, offering a motive for the violent blow with the cleaver.
Defendant speaks of self-defense
Lawyer Andreas Reichenbach offers a different version, which his client also puts forward: "I don't think he had any other choice." According to the newspaper carrier, the victim attacked him first and wrestled him to the ground - "He really maltreated him", says Reichenbach. Reaching for the hatchet would have been self-defense.
If convicted as charged, the 46-year-old Indian could face up to life imprisonment. A verdict is expected this afternoon.
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