Friend in mortal danger

Hungarian woman (48) sentenced after stabbing in Graz

The Regional Court for Criminal Matters in Graz.(Bild: APA/Hans Klaus Techt)

A 48-year-old woman was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment in Graz Regional Criminal Court on Thursday. She had critically injured her boyfriend in April with a stab to the stomach and was charged with attempted murder. The defendant claimed that the victim had pressed her hand against his stomach with the knife herself. The jury decided that it was a case of grievous bodily harm.

It was not possible to determine exactly what had happened in the apartment in Graz on April 14. What is certain is that both the defendant and her partner had consumed a lot of alcohol. It was probably a relationship dispute, in which a kitchen knife was suddenly involved. The public prosecutor was of the opinion that the Hungarian woman had attacked the 31-year-old and stabbed him in the stomach.

The man suffered life-threatening injuries, including four perforations of the small intestine, and lost almost two liters of blood in his abdominal cavity. Emergency surgery saved his life, explained coroner Mario Darok.

"Both are crazy and jealous"
Such quarrels did not seem to be unusual. "It was a habit, they are in love," said the son-in-law of the accused, who had only heard about the incident. "Both are crazy and jealous," he added. He was not in the room during the crime. When he came back, the 31-year-old was bleeding and he tried to stop the wound with a bathrobe. When asked by the judge whether the defendant had been aggressive, he replied: "Yes, because she thought he was just playing." Finally, he called the woman's daughter, who then alerted the emergency services.

Victim supports the woman's version
The defendant, defended by lawyer Manfred Arbacher-Stöger, denied an intention to kill and explained that her partner had twisted her hand with the 13-centimeter-long knife and pulled it towards him while saying: "Yes, then stab me." The expert witness considered this account possible. The victim did not appear at the trial and only said to the police: "Maybe" when asked whether she had injured him. However, he confirmed to the coroner that he had pulled her hand towards himself, which supported the woman's version.

The jury did not find attempted murder, but rather grievous bodily harm. The sentence is 21 months, seven of which are unconditional. The unconditional part has already been served due to the pre-trial detention, so the Hungarian woman was released after the trial. The judgment is not final.