A former city councillor for the Graz FPÖ was tried on Friday for possession of pornographic images of minors. The material was found by chance during a house search in connection with the financial affair with the FPÖ. The 43-year-old was sentenced to a six-month suspended prison sentence and a fine, which is not legally binding.
The investigation into the financial affair of the FPÖ Graz also revealed other depths: during a house search, the investigators came across child pornography. Or as it is specifically called in legal jargon: “realistic images of sexual acts on and by minors”.
The affected former Blue Council member resigned this spring. On Friday, he had to answer to the regional criminal court in Graz for the relevant sex images that were found on his laptop and a USB stick.
“No second Teichtmeister trial”
Specifically, the Klagenfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of possessing 24,163 image files, of which at least 474 files allegedly contained sexual images of minors, i.e. children under the age of 14.
The ex-politician’s lawyer stressed that this was “not a second Teichtmeister trial.” His client downloaded all the photos from freely accessible sites. “Based on the photos, it is not possible to determine the immaturity of the people with an almost 100 percent probability that the boundaries are blurred.”
“Out of the many thousands of images, there must have been a few that slipped through the cracks,” the suspect said, justifying the images in question. Judge Julia Riffel accused him of specifically searching using the terms “teenager” or “boys.” “Teenager is how old for you?” she asked the suspect. “18, 19 years old,” he replied.
Debate about the real age
The judge repeatedly told the 43-year-old that the photos made it clear to any layperson that they were clearly of young people under 18. “It wasn’t that clear to me at the time,” said the suspect, who stressed that he did not find the sexual depiction of minors attractive.
After viewing some images, the ex-councilor was found guilty of obtaining and possessing pornographic images of minors and minors. According to the judge, only five photos clearly showed minors;
The suspect was sentenced to a fine of 14,400 euros and a suspended prison sentence of six months with a probation period of three years. He requested time to think about it, but the public prosecutor gave no explanation. The verdict is not final.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
