Verdict in the Trial for Child Abuse: Prison Sentence for Department Head

The 59-year-old was found guilty of serious sexual abuse of minors as a principal offender. He was acquitted of the degradation and disregard of human dignity, thereby reducing the sentencing range to one to ten years. A loss of office was mandatory.

Defendant Made Comprehensive Confession

The man is said to have encouraged contact persons in live chats to abuse very young girls in the Philippines and to have demanded explicit photos and videos from teenagers. He is undergoing therapy. The defendant made a comprehensive confession, aggravating factors were the repetition of the crime, the numerous victims, and the long period of time. The 59-year-old accepted the verdict, the public prosecutor's office waived legal remedies. The pre-trial detention since January 2024 will be credited.

Arrested in January 2024

The public prosecutor's office accused him of having demanded sexual acts from minors, eleven to thirteen-year-old girls, via social media and in live chats, and of having performed such acts on himself. He also obtained and distributed child pornography. Much could not be charged because the age of the chat partners could not be proven, said public prosecutor Franz-Josef Zimmer. The crimes date back to 2018/2019. The man was arrested at the end of January 2024 after the Upper Austrian State Criminal Police Office had been provided with investigation results from US authorities. Extensive investigations and research followed, the defendant was banned from platforms 542 times.

"Not Aware That I Was Crossing Boundaries"

His lawyer, Andreas Mauhart, described the defendant as "previously well-behaved, inconspicuous, respected and liked". During the pandemic, he was unable to satisfy his sexual needs and "no longer saw the red line". He did not consider the consequences of his actions for the victims. The defender emphasized that the 59-year-old is sick. "He did not choose this" and has already completed 35 units in therapy.

In his interrogation, the defendant admitted that he was aware that some of the girls were under 14 years old. "I can't assign the actions in detail anymore because there were several." Judge Josef Lautner asked about two cases in detail. Already in 2018/19 - before the Corona pandemic - the 59-year-old had received and forwarded nude pictures of ten-year-olds. "I was not aware that I was crossing boundaries," he said. He described that a mother was on camera with her daughter performing sexual acts. When asked by his lawyer: "Do you now realize that this was abuse?" he replied: "I don't know what that would trigger in me if that happened to my son."

His defender argued that the defendant had made a comprehensive confession and was unblemished and insightful, he was undergoing therapy and deserved a chance despite the abhorrence. He would lose his job, reputation, and freedom, Mauhart pleaded for a lenient sentence. "I'm incredibly sorry," said the 59-year-old.

Loss of Office Associated with Verdict

The verdict also involves a loss of office. The defendant's request to waive the loss of pension was rejected. An administrative authority must now deal with this. The court did not see any degradation or disregard for human dignity through certain sexual practices, as the defendant was able to plausibly argue that he did not want to degrade anyone and that these were sexual variations. The court saw the comprehensive confession as mitigating, while the repetitions, the large number of victims, and the long period were considered aggravating.

(APA/Red)

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