Terrible family

Six-year-old fruit attacked stepdad

Acquittals at the trial at Klagenfurt provincial court(Bild: Kerstin Wassermann)

The parents were actually charged with violence in parenting - but everything turned out differently in court.

What a terrible family! There's no other way to describe how a 27-year-old, her mother and the other relatives in Lavanttal treat each other. "Our relationship is a disaster!" says the daughter, describing her relationship with her mother. "She always threatened to take my child away from me - and now I'm sitting there and my son is with her."

First psychologist believed Buben
The little boy had accused the new stepdad of massively abusing him - with beatings until he bled, ice-cold showers and vile humiliations. His mother had done nothing about it. That's why the primary school pupil preferred to stay with his grandmother. As she is a social worker by trade, she probably knew who to turn to - and the first psychologist who dealt with the boy for the public prosecutor's office also rated his statements as credible.

Six-year-old probably a fruitcake
But things were different at the trial before Judge Gerhard Pöllinger: a second expert denounced "leading questions", which made the accusations difficult to understand. And the parents, for their part, reported that the grandmother had incited the boy. "I think he really has a stronger bond with her than with me," admitted the accused. The stepfather also said that the six-year-old was a fruitcake: "Once he threatened me with a butter knife. And said he would take me to prison." Not this time - two acquittals in case of doubt.