Victim in need of care

Acquittal after a punch to the jaw with permanent consequences

An argument at a petrol station in Lower Austria ended with a 39-year-old man losing his speech. The father of two girls will remain in need of care. The acquittals are legally binding. The course of events could not be reconstructed exactly during the trial, the witness statements were contradictory.

Two brothers, Emir and Teo, wanted to talk things out at a petrol station in Mistelbach (Lower Austria) - it was about 20 euros that had been borrowed and not returned. But instead of reconciliation, the argument escalated. When Emir called in a giant thug to help, a pair of brothers who were friends got involved - and ended up in court in Korneuburg for causing grievous bodily harm with serious permanent consequences. The "Krone" reported on the case.

Defendant: "I was just defending myself"
"The giant was still in the car and had a knife. My client therefore held the door shut," says lawyer Andreas Strobl in the trial, which started in May 2023 and ran for several months. "When I held the door shut, Emir came towards me and wanted to hit me. I just defended myself," says the 28-year-old main defendant.

Fighting back had fatal consequences. Emir, who has two young daughters, hit his head on the floor after the punch and lost his speech. "He is now a nursing case," says Astrid Wagner, representative of the victim's family.

The evidentiary proceedings did not provide a clear picture of exactly how the incident took place - which is why Strobl's client and his brother were acquitted. "The verdict has already become legally binding," says the lawyer.