200,000 euros damage

Danube Island restaurant set on fire: “It was a cry for help”

The 47-year-old victim with his lawyer Peter Philipp(Bild: Pratschner Sophie, Krone KREATIV)

In January, a cloud of smoke could be seen rising from a Sunken City bar almost all over Vienna. Not much was left of the cocktail bar. This is why a 47-year-old man is now sitting in Vienna's provincial court - he tried to start a fire on Danube Island back in March 2023. As an expression of anger and despair, an expert witness explains

"I'll never do it again," the 47-year-old interrupts the Viennese judge while his personal details are being checked, waving his hands wildly. "I've heard that sentence at least ten times during visits," reports defense lawyer Peter Philipp. And even in the courtroom, the victim emphasized over and over again: "I'll never do that again. It was a big mistake." We are talking about arson. 

"Sunken City" pub burnt down completely
On March 16, 2023 and January 12 of this year, the Viennese set fire to two pubs on Danube Island. The last one on the "Sunken City" burned down completely - the damage amounted to 200,000 euros. Surveillance cameras eventually led to the 47-year-old, who is now sitting before the lay assessor's court. The court will decide whether he should be placed in a forensic therapy center, as the expert opinion states that the arsonist is of unsound mind.

It was a completely misguided solution to the problem. You could say it was a cry for help.

Gerichtspsychiaterin Sigrun Roßmanith

The psychiatrist Sigrun Roßmanith attests him an immature personality disorder. The 47-year-old attended a special school and later worked in a sheltered workshop - he was largely responsible for taking his medication himself. And that failed when he started the fires with canisters and cloths. "It was a completely misguided solution to the problem. You could say it was a cry for help," says Roßmanith.

Anger and despair expressed through fires
Before the expert witness, he reported bullying and rejection in the last facility where he was cared for. He wanted to express his anger and despair through the fires. "I'm actually afraid of fire. I'll never do it again," he swears again. "It's clear that the requirements for placement are met," admits defence lawyer Peter Philipp, but also emphasizes that a forensic therapeutic center is not the right place for him. 

The panel of lay judges agrees and decides on a conditional placement with a series of instructions - from psychotherapy to regular blood level checks. All of this is offered to him at the CARDO care facility in Lower Austria, where his lawyer Philipp was able to organize a place together with his family. "You can pack your things now and then move today," the judge dismisses the victim and closes the hearing.