Dog crate case

Victim’s lawyer announces lawsuit against the state of Lower Austria

In the case of a now 13-year-old boy who was allegedly locked in a dog box and tortured by his mother in the Waldviertel (Lower Austria), victim advocate Timo Ruisinger intends to bring an official liability suit against the state of Lower Austria. 

The mother and a suspected accomplice were sentenced to prison in Krems at the end of February and admitted to a forensic-therapeutic center. The lawyer suspects a failure on the part of the authorities, ORF Lower Austria reported on Friday.

Re-examination of internal processes
In the criminal proceedings, there were indications "that allow the conclusion to be drawn that the officials and employees of the Waidhofen an der Thaya district authority did not do everything possible to prevent harm to the child", said Ruisinger. After the case came to light last year, the child and youth welfare service had emphasized that an immediate review of internal procedures had shown that "all legal and professional requirements were met". Due to details that became known during the court proceedings, the case was re-examined. The state's specialist supervisory authority is to investigate "whether all legal and professional standards" were adhered to.

Abused own son
The 33-year-old mother is said to have beaten, bound and gagged her son and repeatedly locked him in a dog crate for hours. On November 22, 2022, the child was in an acutely life-threatening condition. The twelve-year-old survived thanks to the intervention of a social worker who was known to the family through counseling. A friend of the Waldviertel woman at the time is said to have acted as the child's mother's accomplice.

The accused mother before the verdict at Krems District Court.(Bild: Anja Richter)

20 years imprisonment
In the jury trial, the 33-year-old was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for attempted murder, torturing or neglecting minors, young or defenceless persons and deprivation of liberty. Her former girlfriend was sentenced to 14 years for continued violence as a contributing or designated offender. In both cases, placement in a forensic therapeutic center was also ordered. Both sentences are not final because the defense lawyers have appealed.