For child abuse

1,673 years! Austrian dies in Thai custody

The Federal Criminal Police Office and the Thai authorities were able to convict a child molester—who also had a prior conviction here—in the vacation paradise.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Reinhard Holl, stock.adobe.com)

Shocking legal verdict in a vacation paradise: An Austrian expatriate has been sentenced to an unbelievable 1,673 years in prison in Thailand. He had abused his daughter dozens of times over the years, starting when she was a child. This likely seals the 54-year-old’s fate to die behind bars...

It is heartbreaking what the little girl in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeastern Thailand had to endure. The Austrian man, who had emigrated to Thailand from western Austria, is alleged to have sexually abused his daughter—whom he raised alone after separating from his girlfriend—starting in elementary school when she was just eight years old.

Child also passed on for abuse
The rapes went on for years. Unbelievably, the 54-year-old also passed the child on twice to a photographer, who also abused the girl—and took nude photos of her, which the defendant in turn passed on. Whenever Anong (name changed by the editors) tried to break free from the cycle of violence, her father threatened to simply abandon her. Due to the emotional blackmail and out of fear of being alone, the child continued to endure the ordeal.

After an international aid organization alerted authorities to the emigrant’s chat group containing disgusting images of his daughter, an investigation finally began. But it wasn’t until four years after the arrest that Anong finally received belated justice: Her father has been sentenced to an inconceivable 1,673 years in prison! Even though the convicted man will, in practice, only have to spend 50 years in prison (due to sentencing caps), the 54-year-old will likely die behind bars.

Already convicted in Austria
Incidentally, the record prison sentence can be explained by the fact that in the Thai judicial system, each rape is considered a separate offense. Since the Austrian expatriate is charged with 134 offenses, the total sentence makes sense. Furthermore, the 54-year-old had already been convicted here in Austria for child abuse.

Andreas Holzer, Director of the Federal Criminal Police Office: “This case demonstrates once again how essential international cooperation and close communication between liaison officers from the Ministry of the Interior and local authorities are.” In this case, the investigation was expedited to protect the child involved.