A young Viennese repeatedly pointed the flame at a small, helpless mouse. In court in Vienna he said: ‘I had the choice between drugs and other aggressive behaviour.’ The psychiatric expert testified to his extremely dangerous sadistic tendencies – the 28-year-old did this to relieve himself.
A 28-year-old sits disoriented, with a confused look and his head in his hands, in the Vienna Regional Court. “I am still completely numb from the medications,” he explains to the judge, why it often takes a long time before he answers and why the information he gives is difficult to follow. The Carinthian resident is currently in a psychiatric institution – he tried to harm himself.
“There are certain sadistic traits”
The suspect has suffered from a mental illness since childhood – a severe combined personality disorder. “There are certainly certain sadistic traits present,” explains psychiatrist Siegfried Schranz. They are also the cause of the crime that brought the young man before the jury. The Public Prosecution Service also requests placement in a forensic therapeutic center. In early November 2022, he set fire to a mouse and painfully killed it.
“It was the biggest mistake of my life. Those were moments when I wanted to get rid of this anger and hatred towards myself. I had the choice between drugs and other aggressive behavior. “I thought about it every day” – that’s why the immaculate 28-year-old turned himself in to the police four months later, telling how he had caught a mouse, locked it in a cage and set it on fire again and again with a deodorant spray and a lighter – until she finally died.
Cruelty to animals in a particularly torturous way
“Then what did you do with the mouse?” the judge wants to know. The defendant doesn’t want to talk about the crime itself: “At least bury her,” he whispers into his hands. His lawyer does not question the fact that his client is being convicted of animal cruelty in a particularly painful way: “We all agree that this is not socially appropriate pest control: flambéing a mouse.”
He objects to the psychiatric report and the requested placement. In any case, he would be in a facility that would give him medication and care for him every day. He would not actually be guilty of violent behavior. But psychiatrist Schranz makes a frightening prognosis: the Viennese falls into risk category seven out of nine – the chance that he will commit acts against life and limb is high.
Therefore, the jury approved the placement in a forensic therapeutic center, but only to a limited extent with a long list of instructions. He received a six-month suspended sentence for animal cruelty. The judgment is final.
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.
