“Unbearable” abuse case: Nehammer wants to lower the criminal age

We simply need to speak mercilessly about what is going wrong and where the rule of law has insufficient opportunities to intervene.

Order to Edtstadler and Karner
The head of government therefore tasks Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler and Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner (both ÖVP) to develop solid proposals.

Nehammer sees three specific areas of action in the ‘Krone’ discussion:

• That Teenagers under 14 years old cannot currently – as in the present case – be prosecuted in court for crimes such as rape or serious bodily harm. A concrete lowering of the age limit for so-called criminal liability! That in the future Children of twelve years old could already be in court, is of course very controversial in our country. Overall, the phenomenon of youth violence needs more attention.

• The role and Family responsibility. The chancellor: ‘We must ask ourselves how the state can better support parents in prevention and how youth care can be a stronger lever.’ Ultimately, however, “parental responsibility must also lead to accountability.”

• The general Imbalance of offenses against life and limb compared to property crimes in our legal system. Simply put: a ‘chicken thief’ often receives the same sentence as a violent criminal.

“Such brutal acts as those of the twelve-year-old girl show that our justice system is not accurate enough. What do the victim’s parents say when the perpetrators walk free? I don’t think that is acceptable,” Nehammer concluded, visibly moved.