Judge Stumbled Through Courtroom: Hinteregger Trial Postponed
Although the presiding judge was evidently not in a suitable condition to conduct the case, he initially did not want to interrupt or adjourn the proceedings. It was only at the request of district attorney Gerda Bogner and after a brief internal discussion that the trial was adjourned.
Previously, the judge had spoken of a "stupid video" showing the football professional - then as a coach - pushing a fan to the ground off the field during a game in Mittlern (Völkermarkt district) on September 14 of the previous year. "The private party representative is therefore demanding a terrible punishment," said the judge. "The word 'terrible' does not come from my written statement," countered Mariella Hackl, the victim's legal representative.
Trial: Hinteregger Pleaded Guilty
Hinteregger pleaded guilty to the extent that he confirmed giving the affected man a "shove": "I didn't think he would fall to the ground." The judge repeatedly referred to Hinteregger's career and the last two draws he had achieved against Salzburg and Hartberg: "You are a footballer who does his job quite well. And now a foolish thing happened once."
The legal representative of the affected party stated that it was terrible how this matter had been handled by the media. To this day, there has been no apology from Hinteregger. For this reason, she demanded a compensation amount of 1,500 euros from the defendant, which should be donated to the Carinthian Football Association's initiative "Fairness and Respect in Football."
The statements of the private party representative led to a loud dispute with Arthur Berger, the defendant's defense attorney. He emphasized that it was the court's task to determine a penalty.
Judge Staggered Through the Courtroom
When the judge left the courtroom during the trial, he staggered against the door several times. Shortly thereafter, another judge interrupted the trial and asked the presiding judge for a discussion. Upon leaving the room, he stumbled over a step and had to be supported by his colleague. After a total of one hour, the trial was adjourned - officially due to a medical emergency.
As a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said in response to an APA inquiry, it was a medical emergency: The judge was taken to the hospital for clarification. There was no information about his health condition early Wednesday afternoon.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.