Rape trial in Klagenfurt: Grandmother rescued 15-year-old from flat
A 24-year-old with eight previous convictions is facing trial in Klagenfurt on charges of rape. The defendant's grandmother is said to have helped two girls to escape.
Klagenfurt jury court adjourns trial after victims' testimony
A trial began on Monday at Klagenfurt Regional Court against a 24-year-old Klagenfurt resident charged with rape, sexual coercion and coercion. According to Kleine Zeitung, the accused has eight previous convictions and is currently serving a two-year prison sentence for dangerous threats.
Two girls, aged 15 and 16, described under the chairmanship of Judge Gernot Kugi what is alleged to have taken place in a Klagenfurt flat on the night of 21 April. The 15-year-old had ended her relationship with the accused in early April. A few weeks later, he allegedly lured her to his flat under threat of violence against her family and friends.
"He forced me to consume heroin and cocaine. He held my head and I had to snort the lines through my nose. He is a psychopath," the 15-year-old told the court. Before midnight, the rape occurred. She fought back for three hours. "But he doesn't accept no," the victim said.
The girl eventually feigned needing to vomit and called her friend from the toilet. When the 16-year-old arrived at the flat, she was also pulled inside by the accused according to her own testimony. "He then hit my friend, held us back and threatened that he would get a kitchen knife," the 16-year-old reported to the court.
The rescue is said to have come from an unexpected quarter: the accused's grandmother, who was also in the flat, is said to have recognised the girls' plight. As she does not speak German, the two signalled to her through eye contact and gestures that they needed help. The woman then called the police, who arrested the man.
The accused denies all allegations. He claims to have had consensual sexual intercourse with the 15-year-old on several occasions and states he thought she was 22 years old. He gives a different account of the evening: the 15-year-old allegedly asked him for drugs, and the 16-year-old appeared with a knife to rob him. His grandmother made the police call at his request.
However, the grandmother, a crucial witness, did not appear in court on Monday. The trial was subsequently adjourned.
Source: Kleine Zeitung