Victim left lying there

Attempted murder in Lower Austria: youngest defendant only 14

The three defendants have been in custody in Krems (Lower Austria) since the beating attack in November 2024.(Bild: P. Huber)

The Lower Austrian is just 14 years old and is already facing the most serious charge in the Austrian penal code in the Krems regional court. Together with two friends, he beat up a 45-year-old man for hours - then they planned to leave their victim to die in the forest.

He looks childlike as he sits there between the 19 and 29-year-old co-defendants in Krems Regional Court (Lower Austria). But the prosecutor warns: "The 14-year-old is accused of most of the crimes." Shortly after his 14th birthday, he threw his first punch at another teenager; less than a month later, the next violent outburst resulted in a broken nose.

Boy problematic since the age of eleven
"He really slipped away from his parents," his defense lawyer points out, noting that he actually comes from a stable and loving family in the Waldviertel. The boy had his first experience with alcohol and drugs at the age of eleven. He came into conflict with the law even before he reached the age of criminal responsibility. Stays in psychiatric clinics did not help ...

But compared to the main charge, the beatings in question can almost be described as harmless. The boy and two Lower Austrians are accused of the attempted murder of a 45-year-old man.

"My client felt abused by the victim"
The 14-year-old met the much older man last summer. "My client felt abused by the victim," said his defense lawyer. Sexual acts took place between the boy and the later victim. "My client was drunk or smoked up. He says himself that he didn't really want that."

The plan was for us to go there and harass him for doing something like that with a boy.

Angeklagter (29) vor den Geschworenen

"He told the co-defendants about the sexual acts, which he was of course embarrassed about afterwards," said the prosecutor. They decided to give the victim a thrashing on November 21. "It was planned that we would go there and harass him for doing something like that to a boy," the oldest defendant admits that they wanted to blackmail the victim.

45-year-old left to die in the forest
But it didn't stop there: they beat the man black and blue, put him in the car and drove him across the Waldviertel. They stopped again and again to beat him. They also hit him with a piece of wood. Fortunately, the 45-year-old was not seriously injured.

After a few hours, the three planned to abandon the victim in the woods, injured, without his clothes and cell phone - the 45-year-old managed to escape when the defendants were momentarily inattentive. He was able to alert the police.

The public prosecutor interjected in the jury court: "What would have happened if the victim had not been able to escape? According to the public prosecutor, there is only one logical outcome: they wanted to eliminate him." They face long prison sentences for, among other things, deprivation of liberty, aggravated extortion and attempted murder. All three unanimously deny the latter. The sentences are due to be handed down tomorrow.