Homophobic Viennese Man Sentenced After Threatening with Kitchen Knife
The court confiscated the knife. In addition to the probation sentence, the judge ordered him to pay a symbolic compensation of 200 euros to the victim, which enraged the 64-year-old. "Excuse me? I have minimum security, I can't afford that," he protested. However, he had previously reported a stay of several months in Brazil. Since the defendant did not have a lawyer, the verdict is not yet legally binding.
Homophobic Viennese has been terrorizing the victim for a long time
The victim - a 58-year-old gay man - lives in a municipal housing complex in Favoriten and does not hide his sexual orientation there. The defendant seems to have major issues with this. He reportedly only passed by the ground-floor apartment crouched down to avoid being seen and insulted by him, the 58-year-old reported as a witness: "He terrorizes me all the time."
When the 58-year-old was walking a neighbor's dog on July 7, 2025, the defendant noticed. According to the report, he insulted him from his apartment through the open street-facing window as a "gay pig," "gay scum," and "child molester." When asked to stop, the defendant allegedly ran into the kitchen, stood at the window with a kitchen knife, waved it around, and shouted, "I'll stab you, you gay pig," the witness reported. A neighbor who witnessed this called the police.
Defendant: "I'm not homophobic"
The defendant did not deny the incriminated acts, emphasizing: "I'm not homophobic." However, the neighbor in question "has been bothering" him "for half a year." He stated, "I won't put up with anything," adding: "I'm a normal working guy, Your Honor!" "I'm terrified of him," the 58-year-old revealed. The defendant constantly insults and abuses him because of his sexual orientation ("I'm homosexual, everyone knows that"): "I've experienced this in my childhood. There are trigger points." As a result of the incidents in question, post-traumatic stress disorder has become virulent again. He now requires psychotherapeutic treatment again. "I'm almost afraid to leave the house and sneak down the stairs," the witness stated.
Defendant Apparently Does Not Comply with Exclusion Order
The police initially did not want to take his report of dangerous threats, the 58-year-old emphasized. Only when he insisted was it processed, and an exclusion and restraining order was issued, although the defendant does not comply with the latter. This was confirmed by the neighbor who called the police and was also questioned as a witness. "Everyone has problems with him," the witness stated.
Statistically, in Austria, there is a bias-motivated hate crime against the LGBTIQ+ community every day. This is according to the Hate Crime Report 2024 recently published by the Ministry of the Interior. In the spring, the National Council voted with a broad majority to create a National Action Plan against Hate Crime. Over 30 associations from the LGBTIQ+ community have recently demanded to be involved in its implementation.
Justice Minister Anna Sporrer (SPÖ) decreed at the beginning of May that in hate crimes such as bodily harm, dangerous threats, property damage, or incitement, the motive of derogatory prejudice against certain groups must be recorded in the IT system. In response to an APA inquiry about how many hate crimes against the LGBTIQ+ community have occurred since then or how many convictions have been registered, the Ministry of Justice stated on Wednesday that it is still too early for an evaluation.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.