Daughters incriminate father

Mother stabbed 13 times: 20 years in prison

Trial at Salzburg Provincial Court(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

"Father beat mother," a 17-year-old girl told the jury while dad listened in court. Two weeks later, he stabbed her with a knife. Now he is to serve 20 years for attempted murder.  

Testifying against your own father, incriminating him in front of a judge and jury, requires a special kind of courage. Two young girls (14, 17) showed this on Wednesday in the Salzburg provincial court: "Yes, he hit their mother. First with his fist in her face, then against her chest."

The two daughters had witnessed their parents' domestic violence and reported it on the witness stand, while the father - guarded and observed by two prison guards - listened and shook his head several times. There was also talk of death threats.

The victim only survived thanks to the intervention of a witness.

Staatsanwältin Ricarda Eder

"But the mother didn't say anything so that we wouldn't worry. She also said that we shouldn't hate him because of it." The third and eldest daughter remained silent - she decided not to testify.

Witness as possible lifesaver
But the trial is not just about beatings and threats, it is above all about the accusation of attempted murder: the accused Somali man (53) tried to kill his wife on the sidewalk of the busy Sterneckstraße in Salzburg on October 6, said public prosecutor Ricarda Eder at the start of the trial. He stabbed the mother of nine at least 13 times with a 16-centimeter kitchen knife.

"The victim only survived thanks to the intervention of a witness", said Eder. A police patrol that happened to be passing by provided first aid and immediately arrested the man. Two small children (3 and 1) had to witness the crime. As was heard during the trial, the victim even held a child by the hand during the act of violence. Now, however, the defense lawyer spoke of attempted manslaughter and the man, who still had a clean criminal record, said: "I'm sorry."

During the hearing, the presiding judge drew attention to another circumstance: "At the time of the crime, there was a ban on contact and entry." The beatings described by the daughters happened in mid-September - just over two weeks before the knife attack. In the end, the jury clearly decided on guilty.

The non-final verdict: 20 years in prison. The defendant immediately lodged an appeal.