Trial in Eisenstadt

“He struck out of nowhere, for no reason at all”

The defendant only admitted to assaulting his wife at the Eisenstadt Regional Court. He claims not to have harmed the children.(Bild: HS, Krone KREATIV)

Whether with his hand, a broomstick or a belt: his wife and small children were abused for years. The man from Burgenland presented himself in court as an innocent lamb before he was convicted.

The unemployed Burgenlander was supposed to have started a job at the beginning of January. "But it was too risky for the boss. You don't know how it's all going to turn out here," said the defendant in front of the senate of lay judges at Eisenstadt Regional Court. So the father of two, who lives alone, still has to make do with 804 euros a month. His wife has long since moved out. The two children, now aged nine and five, are living with someone else.

Previously convicted for assault
"The bruises on my upper arms could be mine. Otherwise, I plead not guilty on all counts," says the man in his mid-thirties, who has a criminal record for assault and damage to property. Yes, there was an argument that evening in June 2021. "But she only had the cut on her lip and the scratches on her neck when she came home from work the next day."

Defended herself with a knife
The woman's version is different. "He picked me up by the throat in the bathroom and choked me." A similar incident is said to have taken place in July 2018. "He threw me on the floor, squeezed my throat, bit me and hit my head against the wall. I had to defend myself with a knife." Both attacks came out of nowhere. "He seems to have a problem with his aggression," says an expert witness who regularly accompanied the man to prescribed anti-violence training.

Children beaten "with everything he got hold of"
The children are said to have been even worse off. According to the indictment, they were beaten for years - with the flat of his hand, a wooden spoon, a broomstick, a belt. "With anything he could get his hands on," says the woman. "I didn't see everything, but I did see a few things."

The children's behavior changed rapidly. "The girl suddenly started punching others in the stomach. We had to intervene," says the head of the kindergarten. "And the boy was already biting everyone in the nursery at the age of two and a half."

The man accepted the sentence - four months suspended, a fine of 720 euros, 500 euros each for his daughter and wife and probation. The public prosecutor made no statement, therefore: not legally binding.