Assaults in Lower Austria

Prosecution: Six children abused in the whirlpool

Six children were allegedly sexually abused by two asylum seekers in the whirlpool of the "Aqua Splash" outdoor pool in Traiskirchen (Lower Austria) on June 18.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Thomas Lenger/Monatsrevue)

According to the public prosecutor, two men - aged 29 and 30 - attacked six young swimmers in the water at the "Aqua Splash" outdoor pool in Traiskirchen (Lower Austria). On October 3, the two Afghans will have to answer for multiple sexual abuse of minors in the Wiener Neustadt Regional Court. The plan was perfidious.

This indictment from the Wiener Neustadt public prosecutor's office is shocking: The accused are two asylum seekers from Afghanistan who visited the "Aqua Splash" outdoor pool in Traiskirchen on June 18, 2024. "It was there at the latest that they jointly decided to touch the genitals, breasts and intimate body parts of children present there to satisfy their sexual urges," said the prosecutor.

Lawyer Florian Höllwarth (left) represents two of the underage victims.(Bild: zVg)

The way in which the 29 and 30-year-old duo are said to have carried out their plan is perfidious. They chose the whirlpool as the crime scene. They are said to have ambushed children bathing in the current channel. They are said to have submerged themselves in the water and deliberately grabbed their victims and tried to touch their private parts - which they sometimes succeeded in doing.

Six months to five years in prison if found guilty
On October 3, the two men will stand trial in Wiener Neustadt Regional Court for multiple sexual abuse of minors. They face six months to five years in prison.

The children - five girls and one boy aged between nine and 14 - reported in their police interviews about the assaults, which must have been disturbing and sometimes painful for them.

Defendants in custody and not confessing
Lawyer Florian Höllwarth represents two of the underage victims. "The parents of the children cannot understand why those responsible in politics do not take precautions to ensure that these things do not happen," Höllwarth urges for stronger communication of values.

The suspects in custody have not confessed in the investigation so far. According to the public prosecutor's office, however, they have been "massively incriminated" by witnesses.

Not the first attack in the flow channel
The case in Traiskirchen is not an isolated incident. Last summer, a 14-year-old girl and a 40-year-old woman were sexually assaulted in an outdoor pool in Freiberg, Germany. The crime scene there was also the whirlpool.