This story made the news throughout Austria: the mayor of a small municipality in Austria had abused and raped his head of office for years. The perpetrator was sentenced to seven years in prison. The victim has now sued the community and is once again caught in the crossfire of criticism.
The former mayor of Scharten was sexually abused and raped several times by the mayor. A months-long gauntlet began, the woman was called a liar and there were demonstrations for ex-mayor Jürgen Höckner, who was sentenced to seven years in prison. The 51-year-old continues to receive psychiatric and medical treatment and is retired. The case is still not over. Together with her lawyer Clemens Krabatsch, she sued the community. “This violated the duty of care towards my client,” says the lawyer. They demand 73,000 euros and possible future damages. An interim judgment is pronounced in writing.
The local boss believes in the innocence of his predecessor
The community resisted this and once again does not look good. The new mayor does not want to know anything about the responsibility of the municipality and even indirectly accuses the rape victim of lying by talking about “untruths in the complaint”. This may be because, as a local leader, he supported the demonstrations for his convicted predecessor by providing a lectern, chairs and electricity.
But that is not enough: Christian Steiner adds again: “I don’t think it happened as the court ruling would have you believe.” He was already active in community politics at the time and didn’t notice anything. That’s why he didn’t want to accommodate the former office head.
Expert shocked
“These are patterns we see over and over again. There is a verdict, but the victim is still not believed. In this case, a lot of injustice has been done to the woman – and this continues to this day,” says Eva Schuh, director of the Violence Protection Center, without harsh words. “Here a victim is turned into a perpetrator again. “She’s being portrayed as the bad one,” she says, bewildered.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
