Foster child abused for years: Carinthian couple on trial in Klagenfurt
A 29-year-old man is said to have been beaten and locked up by his foster parents as a child. The two 62-year-old defendants face up to 15 years in prison.
Foster son describes ordeal – hearing in Klagenfurt adjourned
Beatings with breadboards, days locked in the garage, barely any food: two 62-year-old former foster parents must answer to Klagenfurt Regional Court for repeated assault against their foster son. According to the Kleine Zeitung, if convicted, the defendants face up to 15 years in prison. The victim is now 29 years old and came into the foster family as a baby.
Witness describes years of suffering
The mother of the victim's ex-girlfriend testified as a witness on Tuesday. The man's ordeal only became known during his cancer illness, when he confided in her. He panicked in hospital when doctors had to touch his throat: "He shouted: She should leave, she should leave." In that moment, she said, he saw the foster mother choking him. The witness reported that he believed he was being strangled.
Afterwards, he told her about his childhood. The foster mother allegedly choked him until he became dizzy and dragged him through the house in a stranglehold. He was locked in a cupboard under the stairs and for days in the garage, where he lived off apples and cider stored there. He was then sprayed down with a garden hose. When the foster mother was too exhausted to beat him, the foster father continued – and once threw the boy through a glass pane. Scars on his arms are still visible today. "He went through so much," the witness said in tears.
Even as a baby in a crib, the man was locked up; his earliest memory was a board placed on the crib. The foster parents allegedly later took most of his apprenticeship wages from him. According to his representative, he only managed to break free from the foster parents completely at the age of 25.
The man also told the witness about sexual abuse by an acquaintance of the foster parents.
Second foster child witness: youth welfare office did nothing
A 26-year-old woman who had lived with the defendants as a foster child for several months at age 13 described how the foster son was constantly shouted at for minor things and spent most of his time in his room. She too had been given too little to eat; once she herself was beaten, once she saw the foster son "get beaten". She reported everything to the youth welfare office, but it all "fell through the cracks". When she later read the file, nothing matched up.
Indeed, a risk report from the then 13-year-old and her sister is found in the file on the foster family. The girls had reportedly stated that the family was "strange" and there was "only bread and butter" for snacks. This was apparently not investigated.
Social worker: no warning signs noticed
The responsible social worker testified that there had been no indication of problems in the foster family. The foster son had not been "a happy, carefree child" – but she attributed this to "early childhood damage" from his biological mother's addiction and to learning and social difficulties. Scheduled home visits had taken place once a year, during which she also spoke briefly with the child. Unannounced inspections were only provided for if there were risk reports. She perceived the foster parents as conscientious; they had always attended all training courses.
The two defendants deny the allegations.
Next hearing date in January
After the witness statements, judge Lisa Rendl adjourned the trial. Further witness examinations are planned for the next hearing date in January.
Source: Kleine Zeitung