The six men who were sentenced to long prison terms last week at the Feldkirch Regional Court for abusing a defenseless woman are fighting the verdicts handed down in the first instance. The public prosecutor’s office has also appealed and has requested higher penalties, the “Neue Vorarlberger Tageszeitung” reported on Thursday. State vice president Karin Seidl-Wehinger confirmed the media report to APA on request.
The Afghan refugees were found guilty last Friday of having had sexual intercourse with a heavily drunk – and therefore defenseless – 45-year-old in an asylum home in Bludenz in February 2022. The men, aged 23, 26, 29, 36, 52 and 57, received prison sentences of seven years (in two cases), 7.5 years, eight years, nine years and 12.5 years. The men’s six defense attorneys have now filed a nullity appeal and criminal appeal following requesting a period of reflection immediately following the verdicts were handed down.
The public prosecutor, who did not issue a statement at the end of the hearing, does not agree with the verdicts either. She calls for stricter sanctions. The range of sentences was five to 15 years.
If the OGH confirms the guilty verdicts, the Innsbruck Higher Regional Court would subsequently set the penalties with final and binding effect. If one or more judgments are overturned, a new hearing would have to be held at the regional court as part of a jury trial.
