Reasonable

Hammer attack: accused man sane

The brutal attack is said to have taken place in Meiselstraße in Vienna-Rudfolfsheim-Fünfhaus in July.(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

Hammer attack in Vienna: In mid-July, two people were brutally attacked by a 29-year-old man in Vienna-Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus. The man is said to have first hit the two victims with a hammer and then robbed them of their bags. The accused in the case has now been certified as mentally competent. In the worst case scenario, the suspect could face life imprisonment.

Following the hammer attack by a 29-year-old man that left three people seriously injured, the Vienna Regional Court has certified that the suspect is mentally competent. Investigators had initially assumed that three people were seriously injured, but it is now clear that a 39-year-old man, who according to the police was also admitted to hospital that night with serious injuries, was not a victim of the hammer attack.

Suspicion of two counts of attempted murder
The result of the indictment on sanity, which is not yet legally binding, is said to have been submitted in mid-October, as spokeswoman Nina Bussek from the public prosecutor's office explains. The accused is charged with two counts of attempted murder as well as aggravated robbery and theft. 

The brutal attack took place shortly after midnight in July.(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

According to Bussek, "nothing has emerged" in the course of the proceedings that would justify placement in a forensic therapeutic center. The Serb is therefore facing ten to 20 years or life imprisonment in a prison.

Attacked the group with a hammer
In mid-July, the accused had attacked a group of three - two men and a woman - with a hammer in Meiselstraße in the Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus district of Vienna, robbed them of two bags and then fled. Witnesses alerted the police. The officers arrested the suspect at the scene and confiscated the bags and the hammer.

Two homeless people attacked
The 43-year-old woman had to be taken to a shock room with serious injuries by the emergency services and the male victim had to be intubated. The 51-year-old was in hospital and his life was temporarily in danger. The 51-year-old and the 43-year-old are said to have links to the homeless milieu. In the case of the accused, however, a connection to the scene is considered rather unlikely.

Accused in custody
When the accused was remanded in custody, he stated that he had been "attacked". The public prosecutor's office conducted a preliminary investigation on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder and other charges against him and also commissioned a psychiatric report on the 29-year-old's state of health. However, no significant abnormalities in terms of mental incapacity were found. 

The man is currently in custody. As the indictment is not yet legally effective, a trial date is also still open, the regional court said on Thursday.