Abuse invented

Lungauer (24) served an innocent prison sentence

"Thomas" spent two weeks in prison as an innocent man. The truth gradually came to light - the "Krone" reported on it several times.(Bild: Ostfilm)

A teenager falsely accused a man from Salzburg of rape. He allegedly forced a 15-year-old girl to have sex with a knife. All fictitious! Now the man tells his story ...

It all started quite harmlessly at first. Thomas from Lungau (name changed by the editors) met a girl from Carinthia on the internet. She claimed to be 17 years old and the two grew closer and closer over the months. In January 2023, they met for the first time in real life and had sex. Several times and consensually. "It was three times, she even wanted one more," recalls the 24-year-old.

After that, they stayed in contact and the Carinthian fell in love with Thomas. "I didn't want a fixed relationship. She got on my nerves at some point," he says. He broke off contact and blocked the teenager on social media. A fatal decision - as it soon turned out.

A few months later, the Carinthian girl contacted the police. The 15-year-old accused the man from Lungau of rape. He allegedly threatened her with a knife and forced her to have sex. The Lungau man spent two weeks in custody over Christmas 2023. There he was tormented by suicidal thoughts.

I was convinced from the start that something was wrong. My client's statements were conclusive.

Magdalena Rauter, Anwältin

Thanks to his defense lawyer Magdalena Rauter, the tide turned. She noticed a number of inconsistencies in the 15-year-old's statements. In August 2024, the girl finally stood trial - and received a suspended prison sentence for defamation. The "Krone" reported on the case several times, and now a TV documentary reconstructs Thomas' moving story. 

TV tip: "Innocent in prison" can be seen on Saturday (March 8) at 8.15 pm on ATV.