“I was in a trance” – Grandfather abused granddaughters: 5 years in prison

The allegations from the Klagenfurt Public Prosecutor’s Office are serious: the 71-year-old is said to have seriously sexually abused his three granddaughters several times over a period of eleven years. “The crimes began when the granddaughters were five to six years old,” the complaint states. It was only when the minors turned thirteen that their grandfather allegedly released the girls.

“I was like in a trance”
Although the 71-year-old confessed to the accusations in a police interrogation, he did not want to know anything more about the crimes during the jury trial on Friday presided over by Judge Gernot Kugi.

Only a video of the interrogation of a stricken girl, which was played during the trial, made the Carinthian confess his actions.

“I was like in a trance,” the 71-year-old tried to put the actions into perspective. “You haven’t been in a trance for ten years,” Mr. Rat demanded during the hearing. The grandfather of ten tried to defend himself with a curt “I don’t know” and then showed humility.

Confession as a mitigation of punishment
His confession and the 71-year-old’s integrity had a mitigating influence on the sentence, because the penalty for this offense could be a maximum of ten years in prison, Judge Kugi said. However, the numerous attacks over a long period of time made things more difficult. The Carinthian was therefore sentenced to five years in prison.

However, the granddaughters still suffer the consequences of the sexual abuse and receive psychological treatment. The court awarded them each compensation of 2,000 euros.

Although the 71-year-old accepted the verdict, the prosecutor made no statement. The judgment is therefore not legally binding.