Mother and Grandmother in Custody

Abuse: “Gunkl” Paid €150,000 in Hush Money

Günther Paal is charged with alleged child abuse. A woman and her mother are in pretrial detention and are suspected of extortion.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Robert Peres, APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER, stock.adobe.com)

The abuse case in the cultural scene uncovered by the “Krone” is developing into one of the most sensational criminal cases in recent times. A mother-daughter duo has been charged with “aggravated extortion,” while Günther “Gunkl” Paal faces charges of “child abuse” and “possession of child pornography”—both cases are being tried together.

Attorney Florian Höllwarth had his hands full on Wednesday. After the “Krone” uncovered the new, shocking case involving alleged child abuse by the cabaret artist Günther Paal, alias “Gunkl,” his cell phone has been ringing off the hook every minute. 

My clients are distraught that their children have been taken away. The mother deeply regrets everything that has happened.

Anwalt Werner Wendt vertritt das Mutter-Tochter-Gespann.

Bild: Zwefo

Blackmail Had Been Going On for Over a Year
The case is truly turning out to be one of the most spectacular criminal cases in recent history. At its center is a TV celebrity who was blackmailed and is also the perpetrator—as has now come to light from the mother and grandmother of the child he is alleged to have abused in 2023. About a year and a half ago, the artist’s acquaintance decided to blackmail him. When the pressure on the cabaret star became too much, he filed a police report and turned himself in in May.

Paal Confesses to Abuse
“I have photos,” the woman told Paal, thereby extracting payments totaling tens of thousands of euros in several installments. However, these images likely do not actually exist. The charge is for 189,000 euros; more than 150,000 were actually paid. The handcuffs clicked when the final installment of 30,000 euros was handed over. 

It was not a case of rape, and it was a one-time incident. Some of the allegations date back 13 years.

Florian Höllwarth vertritt den beschuldigten TV-Star.

The young victim’s mother was arrested in June, and her own mother was arrested in July as an accomplice. Both remain in pretrial detention; charges were filed on Wednesday. The women face one to ten years in prison. 

Charges Filed Against All Three
Charges have now also been filed against Paal, the victim of blackmail, whom we are therefore now naming. He faces six months to five years in prison. Both cases will be heard together at the Vienna Regional Court; a date for the trial has not yet been set.

As reported, “Gunkl” is believed to have confessed to the abuse. During a search of his home, files depicting the sexual abuse of minors were also seized: “This offense also presupposes intent to possess, which my client no longer had,” says Höllwarth, adding that some of the allegations date back 13 years. 

The two women, meanwhile, are represented by Vienna attorney Werner Wendt: “My clients are distraught that the children have been taken away. The mother deeply regrets all of this,” said Wendt.