Defendant denied

Prison sentence for the Treppelweg perpetrator

Here, on the Treppelweg in Hallein an der Salzach, the incident happened in September 2023.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

Who hit a woman on Treppelweg in Hallein and left her seriously injured? "It was the Riki", the defendant insisted in the retrial. But the court did not believe him and sentenced him to 24 months in prison, eight of which were unconditional. 

Krone readers are familiar with the case that took place on September 29, 2023 on the Treppelweg in Hallein on the Salzach: A walker was found on the ground with serious injuries. For a long time, it was unclear exactly what had happened - until Detective DNA led investigators to the accused, a Serbian man (25) in detention pending deportation.

Hit head-on and deliberately
The injury pattern does not match a fall, explained the public prosecutor at the retrial on Tuesday: "However, it is consistent with a head-on collision with a moving person." The accused is said to have deliberately hit the woman with his bike: "He did not take evasive action."

But the man denied this at the first hearing - and he continues to stand by his version. "So it wasn't a bicycle accident, it was the Riki," the judge asked. And the defendant answered in the affirmative. The 25-year-old did not want to explain any more and refused to make any further statement on the charge of grievous bodily harm. On the one hand, the police were unable to find the ominous Riki, on the other hand, the accused's DNA traces are on the victim's clothing - clear evidence. The woman will also have to bear scars for the rest of her life: "I am still undergoing psychotherapy." The young woman demonstrated that she could no longer stretch out her little finger. And she still suffers from the consequences to this day.

In the end, the court sentenced the Serbian to 24 months in prison, eight of which were unconditional. Not legally binding. The court awarded the victim 24,800 euros.