Surprising verdict

Woman almost killed: How does the justice system punish violent offenders?

"I loved her", affirmed the accused Carinthian, who had beaten the living daylights out of his ex-partner and also strangled her.(Bild: Kerstin Wassermann)

When he was under too much stress at work, a man from Villach beat up his girlfriend - until she finally got away from him and dragged herself to the police: broken nose, burst eardrum, strangulation marks on her neck, potential danger to her life and permanent consequences. What are such injuries and suffering worth to the justice system?

Time and again, the fight against violence against women is declared. But apparently this is no more than political lip service - because in everyday judicial practice, perpetrators of violence continue to get away with lenient sentences, as a shocking case from the Klagenfurt provincial court shows.