The 32-year-old and the 24-year-old allegedly lured the minor and her friend into an apartment in an illegally occupied house in Brigittenau on the night of October 26, 2024. They then administered intoxicating substances to them under threats, and the older man assaulted the 15-year-old. The trial was adjourned.

To carry out their plan, the 32-year-old held a deceptively realistic pistol replica to the older girl's temple. Although this turned out to be a toy gun during the police search, the girl could not have known this during the threat. Additionally, a roommate who tried to help the girls was injured with punches to the face. In addition to rape, sexual coercion and bodily harm were also charged. The men acted extremely brutally, as could be inferred from the indictment. They pleaded not guilty.

In Vienna Apartment to "Have Fun"

The two Algerians met the girls shortly before the crime at Keplerplatz in Favoriten. The four arranged to meet on the evening of October 25 to "have fun," as the 32-year-old described to the jury. He vehemently denied that the teenagers had been held against their will. "That's not true at all," said the accused. They listened to music, consumed drugs, and danced. This led to "voluntary" sexual acts. He only admitted to not knowing that the girl was so young. They claimed to him that they were 24 and her friend 21 years old. She had wished for a relationship with the 32-year-old. When he declined because he had a love in Italy, the 15-year-old was "sad." He also admitted to having hit the roommate.

The 14- and 15-year-old girls told a completely different story. They were administered intoxicating substances under threat. If they did not comply, they would be killed. The 32-year-old then allegedly brutally raped the 15-year-old in a side room by covering her mouth and holding the gun to her head. The younger girl remained with the second accused in the other room. She was also indecently touched against her will by the 32-year-old. The 24-year-old, who initially claimed to the police to be 17, was also charged with rape because, according to the prosecution, he allegedly acted as an immediate perpetrator in the execution of the crime in mutual cooperation with the main accused.

The 15-year-old suffered injuries including strangulation marks, hematomas, abrasions, and scratches. She "cried and prayed" during the rape, as she told the police. "I have no idea how the injuries occurred," the 32-year-old said. "I did not inflict them on her."

Girls Asked Roommate in Vienna for Help

The girls tried to ask a roommate from Syria for help, whereupon the older Algerian attacked the man. The teenagers also made an emergency call at 7:00 a.m., but the police were unable to find the girls.

The two teenagers were only able to escape from the apartment in the afternoon of October 26 when the two suspects fell asleep. They notified the police via the emergency call, who, with the support of the special unit WEGA, found the men sleeping and arrested them.

Already during their interrogation by the police, the men denied all allegations. The questioning of the girls proved difficult due to their psychological exceptional state after the traumatic experiences.

Trial Postponed to May

The court wants to obtain videos from the social platform TikTok that are said to have been published on the night of the crime. In addition, the 32-year-old's phone is to be located. It was left behind in the apartment during his arrest. Images from the surveillance camera in front of the house will also be viewed at the next court date in May. The videos of the girls' contradictory interrogations will also be played then.

In Austria, women experiencing violence can find help and information, among others, at the Women's Helpline: 0800-222-555, www.frauenhelpline.at; at the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women's Shelters (AÖF) at www.aoef.at; Violence Protection Center Vienna: https://www.gewaltschutzzentrum.at/wien/ and the 24-hour Women's Emergency Hotline of the City of Vienna: 01-71719 as well as the Women's Shelter Emergency Hotline at 057722 and the Austrian Violence Protection Centers: 0800/700-217; Police Emergency Call: 133

(APA/Red)

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