A kick from the ten-meter board made headlines across Austria in the summer of 2023. As reported, a lifeguard in Steyr roughly pushed a young man off the diving board into the pool. The former employee of the Steyr municipal company has now been acquitted by the court.
In mid-August, numerous eyewitnesses saw a young man standing on the plateau of the Steyr city swimming pool, apparently not daring to jump. Because the tower would be closed again at that time to open the area to swimmers, he was verbally asked to leave the tower by two lifeguards.
When the bather did not comply with the request, one of the two climbed the tower to join him. What happened next sounds almost unbelievable: first the lifeguard allegedly punched the boy in the neck, shouted at him and then kicked him.
The scene was filmed
Other guests filmed the disturbing scenes, sparking outrage on social media. The story made headlines across Europe. The lifeguard and the Steyr municipal company subsequently reached an amicable solution to the employment relationship.
Victim was examined
But the court is also investigating the case. The lifeguard was now on trial – for coercion. This was made possible because after a lengthy search the victim, a then 19-year-old Iraqi, was also located.
Don’t jump voluntarily
Ultimately, the lifeguard was acquitted of the charge of coercion. “The victim did not jump voluntarily, but was forced. Coercion must involve a threat beforehand and then a conscious choice on the part of the victim. That was not the case in this case. There are also corresponding rulings from the Higher Regional Court,” court spokeswoman Christina Forstner explained to the “Krone”. If the Iraqi had been injured, an investigation into physical injuries would have been conducted.
Source: Krone
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