Imprisonment for Salzburg man

Prison sentence after beer can attack

The crime scene was the forecourt of Salzburg Central Station(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

An angry man from Salzburg with a serious criminal record (42) hit a homeless man with "massive force". With a full beer can. He also said that he had protected a girl. Sentence: two and a half years unconditional imprisonment. 

He has a problem with alcohol, drugs, his impulse control and is a hot-tempered, poisonous dwarf: that's what the defense lawyer said word for word about his client, who was on trial on Tuesday at Salzburg Provincial Court for attempted grievous bodily harm. Beforehand, the judge took a look at his previous convictions: 36 entries, more than 20 previous convictions. "But he only ever committed minor crimes," said the defense lawyer.

Defendant speaks of drug problems

According to the indictment, the lively defendant, who has tattoos on his face and is homeless and unemployed himself, attacked a homeless man at Salzburg Central Station on May 3. He hit him with a beer can and kicked the victim, who was lying on the ground, in the face. "He was harassing a girl, so I hit him in the face with the beer can." And the local adds in a deep dialect: "I actually wanted to protect people, but now I'm back in jail."

He repeatedly mentions his drug addiction as a problem and wants therapy instead of punishment. A policewoman in plain clothes was a witness: she clearly speaks of massive force. And the judge emphasized: "You have to pull yourself together now." Sentence: two and a half years unconditional imprisonment for grievous bodily harm.