Trial in Feldkirch

Girlfriend brutally abused

The accused denies all guilt. The trial was adjourned indefinitely.(Bild: Dorn Chantall)

A blameless defendant has been on trial at Feldkirch District Court since Monday for continued violence towards his girlfriend. He is also alleged to have forced her to have sex.

The 42-year-old man from Oberland and the former table dancer from Lithuania had an on-off relationship. But it appeared to have been characterized by violence towards the attractive woman. The period in question is from October last year to this February. If you look at the hematomas on the victim's neck, arms and face documented in photos, it is easy to suspect that these were not evidence of love.

The injuries were only accidental, I didn't hit my girlfriend on purpose.

Der Angeklagte vor Gericht

The 42-year-old Austrian with a migration background admits to having injured the woman. But it only happened by accident. He explains the black eye on his girlfriend's left eye by the fact that she attacked him first. "When I then pushed her away, I slipped with my hand and probably hit her in the eye." The bump on the head was also an accident: "We had first looked at photos on the cell phone. When I tried to take the phone out of my hand, I slipped and hit her on the forehead with the phone."

When asked by the judge how he explained the bruises on the victim's arms, the part-time chef replied: "They were caused during sex." As a former dancer, she was into bondage games and hardcore sex with whips and handcuffs. At her request, he had ordered a bondage set on the internet.

The woman's version to the police is different, according to which the boyfriend allegedly pushed her onto the mattress and raped her. After one incident, he even confessed in a video that he had once again messed up and become violent. "Whenever I use cocaine, I'm like this. Anyone who knows me knows that." As he speaks, the victim shows her black eye. The accused claims to have been forced to make this video confession by his girlfriend.

As the victim has since moved back to Lithuania, a new date must now be found to hear the witness. Trial adjourned indefinitely.