"Gunkl" Charged

He “sold” a child, then blackmailed: Shocking Details

In a voluntary confession and a video, cabaret artist Günther Paal admitted to sexual acts involving a child and the possession of child pornography.(Bild: APA-Images / First Look / Hubert Mican)

In the abuse scandal surrounding Austrian cabaret artist Günther Paal—better known as “Gunkl”—the horrific events are unfolding rapidly. Not only did the artist admit in a video to both committing sexual acts on a girl who was three years old at the time and possessing child pornography, but his attorney also stated that the girl had been “brought” to Paal by her own mother and grandmother. Before they pressured him into paying a total of 189,000 euros in hush money.

There are three—not yet final—charges in this tragic criminal case, which the “Krone” first reported: against 64-year-old Paal, a 42-year-old woman, and her 62-year-old mother. The two women are in pretrial detention. The charge: aggravated extortion.

The mother-grandmother duo is alleged to haveextorted a total ofnearly 190,000 euros from the cabaret artistin several installments. Before the final installment was handed over, the artist turned himself in and filed a complaint; the 42-year-old was arrested as she was about to receive 30,000 euros. The grandmother of the girl, who was born in March 2021, has been in pretrial detention since July as an alleged accomplice.

In a voluntary confession and a video, cabaret artist Günther Paal admitted to sexual acts with a child and the possession of child pornography.(Bild: APA-Images / First Look / Hubert Mican)

Met Sex Workers Through an Ad
According to “Gunkl’s” attorney Florian Höllwarth, Paal and the two women—who were sex workers—met ten years ago through an ad. The three had been in contact for about a year, and even back then, the payments had been steadily increasing until the artist had had enough. 

In 2024, Paal was contacted by the 42-year-old woman with a proposal to meet again as a threesome; in the course of this, he also came into contact with the woman’s child. According to his account, the girl was also “brought to him” on that occasion, and in early 2025, the “one-time assault” took place in Paal’s apartment.

It was not rape, and it was a one-time incident.

Florian Höllwarth vertritt den beschuldigten TV-Star.

At first, the amount was 200 to 300 euros; in the end, it was 30,000
However, the girl’s 42-year-old mother is said not to have gone to the police, but instead, together with her own mother, to have pressured the artist into paying large sums of money. According to Höllwarth, the demands initially called for him to pay 200, then 300 euros for the child, after which the demands kept increasing.

Threatened with the publication of photos and a violent brother
According to the indictment, the two women threatened Paal with publishing photos purportedly showing the abuse of the girl. However, such images likely never existed. The women are also said to have threatened him with their violent brother or son, who, according to his attorney, knew nothing of the scheme.

When the final installment of 30,000 euros was handed over on June 30 at Vienna Central Station—following Paal’s police report and voluntary disclosure—the 42-year-old was initially arrested by an undercover investigator from the State Criminal Police Office, followed by her mother on July 6 after her return to Vienna.

As the two women’s legal representative, Werner Wendt, explained, the 42-year-old has “fully confessed to the allegations,” while her mother has “largely confessed.” He spoke of a “very close, family-like relationship” that the two Slovak women had maintained with Paal.

Name Disclosure

You may be wondering why the suspect’s name was not initially mentioned in the first article. To explain: In the Teichtmeister case as well, the “Krone” knew long before the indictment was filed that the serious allegations concerned him. Nevertheless, we decided to report the story anonymously in the early stages of the investigation.

In the current case, ORF has made the name of its former star public. Furthermore, charges have been filed. Therefore, we, too, are naming the alleged perpetrator.

Paal says he will “accept any punishment that comes his way without objection”
The accused women are in pretrial detention due to the risk of them committing further offenses or tampering with evidence; Paal remains free. The charges against all three—who are presumed innocent—were filed on Wednesday.

The suspects have 14 days to file an objection if they wish to do so. Paal is unlikely to do so; in his video statement, the 64-year-old said he would “accept without objection” whatever punishment is handed down.

My clients are distraught that the children have been taken away. The mother deeply regrets all of this.

Rechtsvertreter Werner Wendt von der Kanzlei Mag. Hubert Wagner

Bild: Zwefo

Girl and her brother taken from their mother
The five-year-old girl is in the care of MA 11, the Child and Youth Welfare Service, along with her seven-year-old brother. “They are doing well,” said Ingrid Pöschmann, spokesperson for the municipal department. According to the women’s legal representative, however, the removals of the children are not related to the current investigation.