No evidence

Child (6) showed distress signals: Man flippant at trial

The 39-year-old Iraqi is alleged to have abducted his wife and their two children. The six-year-old drew attention to herself with an SOS hand signal.(Bild: Zwefo)

The 39-year-old Iraqi man who was discovered on November 30 during a vehicle check following an accident has pleaded not guilty. He is alleged to have kidnapped his wife and their two children. The girl in the back seat reacted impressively, showing the officers the SOS hand signal. In the criminal trial, the accused stands out due to his behavior. In the end, he is acquitted.

"I am married to my wife twice under Islamic law," the man tells Judge Magdalena Klestil-Krausam in courtroom 304 in Vienna's Landl district. And immediately starts with attacks on the mother of his six-month-old daughter, who already has a six-year-old child from a previous relationship.

He actually also has two children, one of whom she would have killed, he makes confused accusations right at the start of the trial. He would rather negotiate with the judge and set conditions than answer her questions. He also claims that he found half a kilo of cocaine in his wife's apartment after he moved in. The judge now expressly warns him not to slander anyone.

My client states that his wife is trying to set him up. And that he himself had called the police and the ambulance after the accident.

Anwalt Sebastian Lesigang

Bild: Andi Schiel

The 39-year-old Iraqi is said to have kidnapped his wife and their two children. The six-year-old drew attention to herself with an SOS hand signal.(Bild: Zwefo)

"Drove like a wild man through Vienna"
The public prosecutor recounts what happened on November 30. According to the prosecutor, he intercepted the woman and forced her to get into his car: "Then he drove through Vienna like a wild man and, unsurprisingly, had a traffic accident after not having a driver's license," said the prosecutor. Because he was behaving strangely, the officers took a closer look. Then they saw the girl showing the SOS emergency sign with her hand.

The child drew the police officers' attention to the abduction with the SOS distress sign.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Privat)

Had already shown SOS in the supermarket a week earlier
He was with her that day and they went to the car together and drove to Lugner City, says the 39-year-old, who does not have a driver's license. There was an accident at Burggasse subway station. "I got out and looked to see if the children and she were okay. When the police arrived, I noticed that the child was making this sign. A week earlier, she had done the same thing in the supermarket. I was also very surprised that she did that." A passer-by in the supermarket also asked him why the child was making this sign. He was then told by her mother that the youth welfare office had taught her. 

When asked by the judge why the girl had made the distress signal in the car, he replied: "I think my wife's ex influenced her to make this hand signal."

Four knives in the car
Now Mrs. Rat asks if he had knives in the car: "Yes, there was always a knife in my car. And my wife always has a knife in the baby carriage." - "But they have a weapons ban." - "That's not a weapon, it's just for sandwiches." The police found a total of four knives in the car on November 30. In addition, the man had already been banned from approaching and entering the car due to previous altercations with the woman.

In the trial, he doesn't want to know anything about it: "We had a very romantic relationship. We only argued in front of others and the authorities." Now the accused shows photos of himself, his wife and the children, for example from November 29. "In principle, it is not the court's job to conduct the investigation proceedings here. But well, now we are in this situation," the judge remarks. In fact, charges were brought unusually quickly after the incident.

Woman resigns
The 34-year-old mother comes to Landl with both children and accompanied by several social workers. She refused to testify, meaning that all of her previous statements could no longer be used by the court. The six-year-old child, who is questioned via video link, also does not want to answer any questions. The result is a legally binding acquittal.