Three Men in Custody

Minors tormented a 12-year-old boy: Father takes the law into his own hands

Three men took revenge on a 13-year-old boy. They are now in pretrial detention.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com, Richter Anja)

After 13-year-olds humiliated and injured his son (12), a father went to the police. He learned that the boys would not face any punishment. So he hatched a deadly plan to take revenge himself—together with his two brothers—on the underage alleged ringleader.

A 12-year-old boy was humiliated in Vienna in May. Several 13-year-olds punched and kicked him, recording the incident on their cell phones. They then pulled down his underwear and tormented him by holding a flame to his genitals. They shared the video on social media. This wasn’t the first time the child had been attacked: he had reportedly been beaten and robbed by the boys before.

Fire to Genitals, Video Ended Up Online
After the burning attack, the boy had to spend a night at the AKH. His father wants the perpetrators to be held accountable, so the Serbian man went to the police. “My son is deeply distressed and traumatized,” he says. But the officers can only tell him that the perpetrators face no punishment because they are minors.

“You molested and insulted my son”
“It made me so angry that nothing would happen to those boys again that I decided to take action to prevent the videos from spreading further,” the man said later during an interrogation.

It made me so angry that nothing would happen to those boys again that I decided to take action.

Der angeklagte Vater in der Einvernahme

What had happened? Together with his brothers, he had made his way to the shared apartment in Vienna-Hernals where his son’s alleged main tormentor lives. Around 2 p.m., the trio woke the 13-year-old—who had apparently been out half the night—from his sleep. A caregiver heard the commotion, rushed over, but was held back by one of the men. He saw his ward being punched, kicked, and shoved against the wall. During this, the 12-year-old’s father is said to have shouted something to the effect of: “You molested and insulted my boy!”

What happened is, of course, unacceptable. My three clients deeply regret their actions.

Strafverteidiger Philipp Winkler

Bild: Anja Richter

Trial of the Father and His Brothers on June 30
Following the brutal assault, the 31-year-old and his brothers were handcuffed. The violent “avengers” are awaiting trial in pretrial detention on June 30, when they will face charges of aggravated assault and property damage.

Their defense attorney, Philipp Winkler, says: “What happened is, of course, not right. My three clients deeply regret their actions.” According to Winkler, however, cases like this also show that the age of criminal responsibility—set at 14—should be urgently reconsidered by policymakers. “Perpetrators are getting younger and younger. And parents want to protect their children.”