Four Bystanders Attacked: 36-Year-Old Admitted After Series of Attacks

A 36-year-old Viennese man was admitted to a forensic-therapeutic center by the Regional Court for Criminal Matters on Wednesday after four violent assaults in public spaces, in accordance with § 21 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. The early retiree, who was legally incompetent at the time of the offenses due to paranoid schizophrenia and the effects of years of cannabinoid use, had attacked strangers without any apparent reason.

Man in Vienna-Leopoldstadt hit and kicked over cigarette

On January 24, 2025, he hit a young man in the face at a bus stop in Vienna-Leopoldstadt and kicked him. The other man had asked him for a cigarette but appeared "very arrogant" and "ambiguous," the 36-year-old said: "I told him if he didn't stop provoking me, I would punch him in the mouth." Because the man continued to speak, he "gave him the punch."

Toddler strangled in subway: "I am the only man here"

On March 31, the 36-year-old grabbed a small boy sitting opposite him by the neck in a subway carriage and strangled the child. When the boy's mother intervened protectively, she received a punch in the face. "He went all out. It was extremely loud," a witness reported to the court. The perpetrator had shouted "I am the only man here," then other passengers intervened, restrained the man, and prevented further harm.

"At that moment, I was so shocked," the boy's mother told the jury, "it was very hot in the face." Since then, she has had "an uneasy feeling" when her son is out alone.

65-Year-Old Attacked at Vienna Bus Stop on the Same Day

The last incident in the proceedings, in terms of time, also took place on March 31 at a bus stop. When a 65-year-old woman put down her shopping bag, the 36-year-old approached her with the words "You insulted me." "Then he already hit me with an uppercut," the woman testified as a witness. Since then, she has had massive problems with her teeth: "All my teeth are loose. I can only eat mushy food."

Risk of Repeated Offenses Due to Mental Disorder

According to a psychiatric expert report, due to the personality of the 36-year-old, his condition, and the nature of the acts, it is highly likely that the man will commit another punishable act with serious consequences in the foreseeable future under the significant influence of his mental disorder. To provide him with the necessary therapeutic measures, a legally binding order for placement in a forensic-therapeutic center was issued.

(APA/Red)

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