A woman from the south of Burgenland (36) spent four and a half years abroad with her now twelve-year-old son, even though his father had sole custody. The woman returned to Austria in October, ostensibly to turn herself in. The police had anticipated this.
The studied sociologist and psychologist, who also successfully completed the Montessori Academy, “was not convinced by the state school system”. So the woman from southern Burgenland packed her then eight-year-old son and went to Switzerland. “I wanted to spare him.”
‘Didn’t know’ the ex-husband had custody
She is said to have taken the boy to his father on March 12, 2019 – a month earlier, the court in Wiener Neustadt had granted sole custody of the man. “I didn’t know that,” the 36-year-old said on Friday during the trial at the Eisenstadt Regional Court, where she had to answer for child abduction.
Illegal work on the horse farm
The escape lasted more than four and a half years before the woman was arrested on October 5, 2023 in the Styria-Burgenland border region on the Hochkogel. The mother-son team’s journey first took them to Switzerland, then the two lived in Spain. The woman recently worked as an illegal worker on a horse farm in Portugal.
The identity often changed
The kidnapper claims to have known nothing about the international manhunt and the information reward of 5,000 euros. But why did she keep changing her identity and not calling the child by name in public?
Living in “a kind of commune”
“He lived a life that was good for him,” the court heard. The boy found himself in a kind of commune with his peers. The former teacher provided school education herself. “If she had stayed in Portugal until her son turned 18, she would not be here today,” the lawyer said. “Nobody checks there!” However, there was a greater desire to return home, clean up and apologize. She wanted to pose. “The police anticipated this.”
The boy has been in the care of his father since his incarceration. The mother had written the ex a letter explaining how to deal with the prodigal son. According to reports, the twelve-year-old is doing well.
From prison to inn
The sentence – fifteen months in prison, three of which are unconditional – is final. The pre-trial detention is taken into account and at the beginning of January the academic will start working in an inn in the south of Burgenland.
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.
