Shocking Background

After taking the law into his own hands, the victim of the beating is now in custody!

In the case involving a dating trap set by “Pedo-Hunter,” there has been a spectacular twist—now the 24-year-old victim of the beating from Vienna is himself in custody.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/BMF, Bartel Gerhard, stock.adobe.com)

A spectacular twist following a dating trap set by “pedophile hunters” in Lower Austria: As is well known, instead of a supposedly 15-year-old girl, thugs were waiting for a young man—but instead of the violent suspects who took the law into their own hands, it is now the assault victim himself who is in custody! The “Krone” knows the explosive background...

A 24-year-old Viennese man with an immigrant background had— as reported —traveled by train from the capital to the 3,500-resident municipality of Angern an der March, known for its many idyllic swimming ponds, specifically for a supposed sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl.

Ambushed and beaten by a trio
The trap had been set by “Pedo-Hunters,” named after vigilante groups in the U.S. that target alleged child abusers. In any case, the young man was lured via WhatsApp on his cell phone. But no sooner had he left the train station than he was ambushed by a trio and severely beaten.

Initially, despite his injuries, he did not want to file a report, but passersby shocked by the brutal attack at dusk did so on his behalf. It quickly became clear why the authorities were not to be informed: Investigators apparently did indeed find explosive child pornography on the victim’s cell phone.

Shocking images and counterfeit money in apartment
Now for the next bombshell: During a search of a residence in Vienna’s Favoriten district—ordered by the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office due to serious grounds for suspicion—investigators from the Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office discovered incriminating material.

In addition to repulsive, abusive depictions of children, more than 100,000 euros in counterfeit money was also seized. The 24-year-old suspect likely ordered the counterfeit bills on the dark web, the “dark side” of the internet. He now faces a long prison sentence. Meanwhile, the investigation into the vigilante trio from Angern an der March is, of course, continuing in full swing.

Lawyers warn against taking the law (or justice) into one’s own hands
In principle, however, lawyers are once again urgently warning against taking the law (or justice) into one’s own hands, citing the current case. This is because assault—or in more serious cases, even attempted murder—carries the risk of long prison sentences.