Father in court

Daughter beaten unconscious with beer bottle

The accused is also said to have struck with his fists, as shown in the symbolic picture.(Bild: EVELYN HRONEK)

For around three and a half years, three children between the ages of six and eleven were put through a real ordeal: Their father - a 38-year-old Iraqi - is said to have regularly beaten them and forced them to look after the household on their own.

This is what the 38-year-old was accused of at the Wels Regional Court. The father is said to have repeatedly hit her with his hands, but also with objects such as cables, belts or a shoehorn. Once he is said to have thrown a beer bottle so violently against his daughter's head that she fell unconscious. The youth welfare office reported the violent episodes to the police, and on Monday the accused was finally brought to court.

Four and a half years in prison
The jury sentenced the 38-year-old to an additional four years and six months in prison for the crime of continued violence. However, the sentence is not yet final, as the Iraqi has already lodged an appeal. The father of the family had previously been sentenced to two years in prison for a crime of aggression in a social setting.