The case of the lifeguard who kicked a bather from the ten-meter diving tower in the Steyr city pool in mid-August 2023 caused great excitement far beyond the city limits. There were professional consequences for the man at the time: his employment relationship with Stadtbetriebe Steyr GmbH was terminated by mutual agreement.
In addition, the Steyr public prosecutor initiated proceedings for coercion. As has only now become known, the man had to answer before the Steyr regional court on November 28th.
At the end of the trial, the lifeguard was acquitted. The victim, a 19-year-old Iraqi, did not jump voluntarily but was physically forced to do so. “In the case of coercion, however, there must be a threat that leads to a conscious decision, i.e. in this case a jump on the part of the victim,” says Christina Forstner, spokeswoman for the regional court in response to an OÖN request.
That did not happen in this case, and the offense of coercion was therefore not fulfilled. If convicted, the man would have faced up to a year in prison.
Philip Fellinger
