How the police caught him

“Toilet phantom” spread insecurity for months

The crime scene was a public toilet behind Pressbaum town hall.(Bild: zVg)

First there were letters with obscene content on the wall. Then sanitary towels were allegedly added, and the toilets were clogged. Children at the nearby playground and women in particular did not dare to use a public toilet: The fear of new acts by the "toilet phantom" of Pressbaum (Lower Austria) was too great. Now the police have unmasked him.

Municipal officials in Pressbaum had been keeping an eye on the public toilet for a long time and were also able to identify a man - but the soup was too thin for an indictment. In the end, the suspected perpetrator used flour that clogged the drains - later, a rubber mat was even allegedly stuffed into a toilet.

Alleged perpetrator kept leaving new "surprises"
One "joke" too many: this constituted criminal damage to property. The facility had to be cleaned by companies at great expense, and due to the "piquant" crime scene, the St. Pölten State Criminal Police Office was even tasked with investigating the case.

Due to the incidents, we then closed the facility outside of the town hall's operating hours, as women were afraid to enter it.

Bürgermeister Josef Schmid-Haberlehner, Gemeinde Pressbaum

Children avoided the gruesome place, women were afraid
The matter was also particularly unsavory, as the public toilet right behind the town hall is also often used by up to 70 children in after-school care. Right next to it is a large park and the kindergarten playground. As the incidents became more frequent, parents expressed great concern - as the letters and objects found caused uncertainty and fear of other, possibly soon more serious incidents among the population.

Detectives caught the fiend, charges are pending
It is said that the suspected perpetrator was finally tracked down and convicted using technical aids. The case is already with the public prosecutor's office, who also confirmed this to the "Krone": The investigations are not yet complete, as the incidents date back to the fall of last year.