Criminal Trial Tomorrow

Gunkl Finds His Own and Others’ Feelings “Suspicious”

According to Florian Teichtmeister, “Gunkl” must now answer for his actions in the Grand Jury Courtroom.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/EVA Manhart, Starpix/Alexander Tuma)

On Thursday, the curtain falls for cabaret artist Günther Paal, alias “Gunkl.” The 64-year-old must answer charges of child abuse and possession of child pornography before a jury of lay judges at the Vienna Regional Court—along with his alleged blackmailers. Statements he made in an interview now appear in a different light.

“It’s one of the most beautiful things that can develop between people: distance and detachment,” said Günther Paal a few years ago as a guest on the ORF program “Willkommen Österreich.” A distance he sorely failed to maintain in the spring of 2025, when he is alleged to have sexually abused a girl who was only four years old in Vienna.

On Thursday, he must take his seat before a jury of lay judges in the Grand Courtroom of the Vienna Regional Court. He stands accused—just as his fellow artist Florian Teichtmeister once did—of possessing child pornography. The “Krone” will report live from the trial for you tomorrow.

Romantics, let’s not forget, have an “idea of purity.” That’s what makes romantics so dangerous—they want to envision the world without any “buts.”

Günther Paal 2020 in „Willkommen Österreich“

Günther Paal’s gruesome “idea of purity”
Sitting with him in the dock are the mother and grandmother of his young victim. They are accused of blackmailing the TV celebrity after the crime—until he turned himself in. “He simply wanted to have a beautiful, pure, unpaid experience,” Gunkl describes the horrific crime, according to the indictment. It’s a statement that also brings to mind a passage from the interview on the Tuesday night show: “Romantics—and we mustn’t forget this—have an ‘idea of purity.’ What makes romantics so dangerous is that they want to view the world without any ‘buts,’” he said at the time.

In hindsight, other statements he made on the show also appear in a different light. For example, those on the subject of love. He confirms that he is suspicious of feelings: “Yes, my own to begin with, and those of others all the more so.” He adds: “Feelings exist, and I can handle them to some extent.”

Blackmailed Cabaret Artist Demands 159,000 Euros Back
In the video message that Paal posted online after the allegations became public, he showed absolutely no empathy for his victim’s suffering. Whether this will be different during the trial is something the public may never know. After all, it’s quite possible that parts of the proceedings will be held behind closed doors.

It is already known that “Gunkl” will join the trial as a victim of extortion , seeking 159,000 euros. His attorney, Florian Höllwarth, confirmed this to the “Krone.” This is the same amount he paid the Slovak women as part of the extortion scheme.

The child can also claim compensation for pain and suffering through his legal representation. Paal is said to have already deposited a paltry 5,000 euros with the court for this purpose.