Commotion at the Spruce Hedge

Neighborhood dispute ends with hose attack

The two adversaries faced off in Leoben.(Bild: Eva Stockner)

Why mowing the lawn on Whit Monday led to an escalation between feuding neighbors and how a garden hose became a lasso—the story behind a somewhat unusual court case on Tuesday in Styria.

The case, which was heard on Tuesday in Leoben, Styria, is actually a matter for the lighthearted district court. The background appears to be a neighborhood dispute that has been going on for years. The defendant is a retired police commander.

He is alleged to have beaten his neighbor bloody with a garden hose because the neighbor had complained about lawn mowing on Whit Monday.

 Hose flew over hedge like a lasso
“He flung the hose over the spruce hedge like a lasso and hit me on the forehead with the nozzle like a whip,” the neighbor excitedly described to Judge Roman Weiß. Before that, he had sprayed him from head to toe over the hedge. “I crawled through the hedge, took the hose away from him, and called him an ‘old fool,’” the businessman admits. “I’ll kill you, I’ll shoot you,” the retiree is said to have threatened.

Dog breeding prevented?
“That’s his usual line anyway. He always yells that,” the neighbor says. It had always been difficult from the start. “He also takes pictures of us every day and accuses us of botching the house construction.” Because of him, his partner had also had to reschedule her dog breeding on the neighboring property. Even though the retiree claims they had already reached an amicable agreement about it back in 2016.

He flung the hose over the spruce hedge like a lasso and hit me in the forehead with the nozzle like a whip.

Der Nachbar

In any case, the 85-year-old says: “The witness’s statements are all false; I am innocent.” Because he had to go to the hospital for high blood pressure and it had rained the days before (“you’re welcome to check that”), mowing the lawn had been absolutely necessary. “The grass was already very tall. And it only took me half an hour.”

“But you do realize that mowing the lawn on Whit Monday wasn’t exactly the smartest move, don’t you?” said the judge. “Yes, but I was in a bind. I was in the hospital for a week afterward for observation because of my blood pressure, and who would have mowed the lawn then? I wouldn’t have paid anyone to do it.”

But you do realize that mowing the lawn on Whit Monday wasn’t exactly the smartest move, don’t you?

Richter Roman Weiß zum Angeklagten

Suddenly, the neighbor shouted over the fence that mowing the lawn on Sundays and holidays wasn’t allowed. “He’s going to report me and I’ll lose my driver’s license,” he yelled, the defendant recounted. “You idiot, you troublemaker! Do whatever you want,” the 85-year-old reportedly shouted back.

“The hose flew into my face due to water pressure”
“Filled with rage, he suddenly charged at me through a gap in the hedge and punched me twice in the chin. I was hosing down the lawn mower at the time. Out of shock, I let go of the hose. The water pressure probably sent it flying into his face!” That, at least, is how he would explain the bloody injury near his left temple.

I had to mow the lawn; I was in a bind.

Der angeklagte pensionierte Postenkommandant

“But that must have been quite a bit of pressure if the hose flew that far up,” the judge sighs. “Yes, there was quite a bit of pressure,” the defendant nods. He says he definitely went inside after the attack. “I was dazed and dizzy from the blows. I had to lie down.” It wasn’t until later that he noticed the large, bloody wound on his hand and the chips in his dentures. “Probably from the punches.”

Acquittal on the grounds of reasonable doubt
“No threats were made,” the defense attorney emphasizes as well. “My client is not a troublemaker. The problems only started when the witness moved in next door.”

The trial ultimately ends with an acquittal for the retired police officer, as the judge doubted the neighbor’s testimony. “Some of it was unrealistic and contradicted the statements made to the police.” The verdict is not final.