2024-07-04 12:13:50
A 31-year-old man was sentenced to two and a half years’ unconditional imprisonment by the Vienna District Court on Thursday for sexually abusing minors and producing, possessing and distributing child abuse images. For years, he performed sexual acts on his three underage nieces while they slept. He filmed himself and shared some of the material with other pedophiles in chat rooms and on the dark web.
The man was traced after Australian authorities discovered a photo of the affected girl on the dark web. It was initially assumed that the perpetrators and victims were from Germany, but later it was suggested that the crime scene was located in Austria. As the prosecutor explained at the beginning of the trial, the girl involved was discovered after an extensive and detailed investigation by the Federal Criminal Police Office and by specialized police investigators using a photo comparison procedure. Corresponding photos were also sent to the school to clarify the identity of the girl who was abused in her sleep.
While it was established that the affected person was undoubtedly a student from Upper Austria, further investigation revealed that the suspect could be the girl’s “favorite uncle” who often spent sleepovers with the family. The 31-year-old man was arrested at his residence in Vienna at the end of November 2023, and a laptop, mobile phone and several external hard drives were seized during a search of the house.
An evaluation of the data carrier revealed that since April 2019, the man had not only obtained and saved nearly 15,000 images and more than 600 videos of child abuse from the Internet. He also repeatedly abused his nieces, who were born in 2011, 2014 and 2016, while they were sleeping and took photos of them. He made some of the hoarded material available on the dark web.
“I am absolutely guilty. I went too far,” the 31-year-old, who worked as a butcher before his arrest and was not criminally charged, told the jury. He said he had “bad thoughts in his head”: “I’m ashamed of everyone here. I need help.” When it came to engaging in sinful sex with girls, he “took advantage of the situation. I did It’s too much.”
“There is no question that there is something wrong with his sexual orientation,” the defense attorney admitted. But his client was never violent or brutal: “You can blame him for not seeking help in time.” The defense lawyer said the 31-year-old was in an unsatisfactory sexual relationship “for religious reasons” and Find happiness online.
Forensic psychiatrist Peter Hofmann testified that the defendant suffered from a “very severe and long-lasting mental disorder.” His interest in child abuse material would increase in an “escalating spiral.” Hoffman warned that if treatment was not provided while in prison, there were concerns the man would pose a risk to children inside and outside the family upon release.
The 31-year-old man was therefore admitted to a forensic treatment center by the court in accordance with Article 21, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code. After serving his sentence, he will only be released once experts conclude he is no longer dangerous. The man can remain detained indefinitely for as long as experts consider him a danger.
The 31-year-old agreed with the verdict. Prosecutors also announced they were giving up legal action.
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