For months protests raged around the trial of ex-Burgtheater actor Florian Teichtmeister. On Tuesday the verdict came, he does not have to go to prison. It was precisely the escalating protests that gave him a mitigating reason.
Several groups have recently created an atmosphere against the judiciary and politics and have taken to the streets to protest. In July, for example, the so-called Teichtmeister Temple, not far from his hometown, was smeared with fake blood, and a gallows named Teichtmeister even emerged in the demonstrations, which was eventually erected in front of the courthouse. Some loudly demanded that they be lynched.
‘The intensity of social exclusion diminishes judgement’
However, the protesters achieved the exact opposite effect they probably wanted. The “enormous social prejudice up to the gallows in court” has a certain positive effect on the now convicted.
The “intensity of social exclusion and prejudice has a mitigating effect”, judge Stefan Apostol explained in the verdict – the “repentant confession” ended up not being easier for him because of this.
“We do not follow the call of the street,” he affirmed the independence of the judiciary in a democracy. “The demonstrators are not doing their business any good.” The suspect was ill, was being treated and had confessed, the judge further noted.
No detention, but strict conditions
Teichtmeister was sentenced on Tuesday by the Vienna Criminal Court to two years in prison and conditional admission for making and possessing pornographic images of minors. There is a probationary period of five years, but placement in an institution is “not necessary”, the judge continued.
Extenuating circumstances were also his reuphoric confession, his previous cleanliness, and his otherwise orderly lifestyle, making him a first-time offender. On the other hand, the length of time in which the crime took place and the large number of similar crimes added to the difficulty.
Source: Krone
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