Sexual abuse

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When the African man saw the media representatives with their cameras in the courtroom, he sobbed: "Please don't!" and hid his face behind a folder.

(Bild: Chantall Dorn, Krone KREATIV)

The accused is alleged to have sexually abused four victims in his apartment in Unterland. The trial started on Wednesday and will continue on Thursday at Feldkirch Regional Court.

According to prosecutor Johannes Hartmann, the 27-year-old African had offered three underage victims free haircuts in his apartment. But in the end, these were not for free. "In return, he wanted sex from the young people." Oral sex is said to have taken place with one of the victims. With another, he is said to have rubbed his body when the accused straightened his back. The third victim, a 15-year-old youth, is also said to have been harassed by the accused, but without success. The African even offered the boy 200 euros for a "love service". When the victim refused, the 27-year-old allegedly said: "I can force it."

Were knockout drops involved?
In the case of a 20-year-old woman, the previously blameless man has to answer to the court of lay assessors for rape. The acquaintance was visiting the African man's apartment with her friend at the time. They had been drinking alcohol together. The shock came later. When the defendant's cell phone was analyzed, the officers not only seized pornographic images, but also a video showing the African having sexual intercourse with the unconscious woman. "When she was confronted with the video, she suffered a nervous breakdown," said the public prosecutor. As the victim cannot remember the rape, Hartmann does not rule out the possibility that knockout drops may have been involved.

When the victim was confronted with the video, she suffered a nervous breakdown.

Staatsanwalt Johannes Hartmann im Prozess am Landesgericht Feldkirch

Several years in prison
The accused, who came to Austria as a refugee in 2014, has so far maintained his innocence. "The sex was consensual." The remaining accusations are fabricated, his cell phone was hacked and relevant messages were sent in his name, the African said.

The trial will continue on Friday. The presumption of innocence applies. If found guilty of rape, sexual abuse and pornographic depiction of minors, the accused faces several years in prison.