Trial in Feldkirch

Perpetrator of violence: “I loved her more than anything”

The defendant was sentenced to a conditional prison sentence and a fine.

(Bild: Chantall Dorn, Krone KREATIV)

A 43-year-old man had severely abused his ex. His ignorance at the trial at Feldkirch Regional Court was shocking.

A crushed cervical spine, traumatic brain injury, shoulder strain, bruised nasal bone, strangulation marks on the neck and a hematoma on the eye - the 43-year-old defendant is said to have inflicted this litany of injuries on his partner during an argument. "That's not true. I loved this woman more than anything. I would have given the shirt off my back for her," said the man with a criminal record, shocked by the accusations.

On that carnival evening, he had met his cousin in the city and hugged her. His girlfriend then completely lost it and called him a "cheater". At home, she continued to humiliate him. "I just wanted to sleep. But she kept hitting me on the back. I fought her off with my hand and probably hit her face," the accused explains the victim's nosebleed. They were also drunk. They had had three bottles of wine and eight large beers. The victim's statements are shocking.

She kept hitting me on the back. I fended her off with my hand and probably hit her face in the process

Der Angeklagte vor Gericht

Victim: death threat
The 34-year-old victim's version is completely different. The German woman tearfully recounts living with the 43-year-old, his alcohol problem and the unpredictability of her ex-boyfriend. This was also the case that evening in their shared bedroom: "I said: 'If the alcohol and the bullying goes on like this, I'll have to pull the ripcord. He then pushed me onto the bed, covered my mouth and nose and shouted: 'I'll kill you, you stupid bastard!"

Lawyer Anita Einsle represented the victim.

(Bild: Chantall Dorn)

In her panic, she bit his hand. "He then let go of me and I kicked him away," the victim recorded. Fearing further outbursts of rage from her boyfriend, she told the doctors at the hospital a lie and initially justified the injuries with a fall from a horse.

The court believed the victim's account and sentenced the violent offender to a conditional prison sentence of six months and a fine of 1,200 euros. The victim, who still suffers from panic attacks and sleep disorders, is awarded partial pain and suffering compensation of 750 euros. The verdict is not yet final.