Human Time Bomb

“The judge gets a headshot from a sniper”

The defendant threatened to have someone killed.(Bild: AFP/SAMEER AL-DOUMY)

“My judge will get a headshot from a sniper if she revokes my conditional release”—a 42-year-old man from the Steyr area suffering from severe mental illness appeared before the magistrate’s court in Linz on Tuesday. He was once again committed to a forensic treatment center. 

He actually looks quite nice, in a scruffy, alternative sort of way, with sagging pants, an extra-long sweater, and a hint of a ponytail: But this 42-year-old, who had to answer for his actions before the magistrate’s court in Linz on Tuesday, is a human time bomb—though through no fault of his own. The defendant suffers from schizoaffective disorder.

Already spent ten years in a special facility
He served ten years in a special facility for robbery and was then released. Everything went well for six years, as long as he took his medication and didn’t smoke cannabis. As soon as the 42-year-old changed his behavior, stopped taking his medication, and started smoking hashish again, a switch flipped in his diseased brain.  He became violent again, committed numerous acts of property damage in public spaces, and finally, on May 7—after frightening passersby—ended up back at the forensic-therapeutic center in Asten. There, he threatened a psychologist and a psychiatrist, saying he would have a sniper kill his judge with a shot to the head.

In a Manic State
During the trial, the defendant pleaded guilty, saying, “I’m very sorry that I threatened the judge. I would never have done that if I hadn’t been in a state of mania. I’m truly sorry; I want to work on my illness.”

Poor prognosis
Since the prognosis is poor—there is a risk that the man will commit serious crimes again—he was once again committed to a special facility.