The prosecutor’s investigation into possible sexual abuse at a municipal kindergarten in Vienna-Penzing has been delayed because the prosecutor’s office had to wait an unusually long time for a verdict on the first suspicious case that became known. “We have pressed for the report several times,” said spokeswoman Nina Bussek. A waiting period of more than a year for a psychiatric expertise is “not common”.
In the spring of 2021, the expert had received a court order to assess the ability and ability to testify of a three-year-old girl who may have suffered assault by a teacher at Penzinger Kindergarten. In April 2021, the expert had an interview with the girl as part of an expert opinion. The public prosecutor then waited in vain for several months for the written result of their assessment, on which the further course of the investigation depended.
“Normally, we would have placed a new order long ago and entrusted another expert with expert advice,” said Bussek. With regard to the age of the child in question, they refrained from doing so: “We just didn’t want to expect a three-year-old to be questioned again.”
The overdue report was only recently submitted to the public prosecutor’s office. As the ORF recently reported, it should relieve the suspect to the extent that the expert concludes that the information provided by the three-year-old is not sufficient for a conviction. The kindergarten teacher would never have been alone in a room with the child.
New appraiser “much faster”
However, there are allegations against the educator, who is suspected of assault, that he would have abused three other children. The Public Prosecution Service has also had an expert opinion on the ability and ability to provide information about these possible victims – with another expert for child and youth psychiatry. “This went much faster,” said Public Prosecutor spokeswoman Bussek.
An expertise has already been sent to the Public Prosecution Service. The prosecutor’s office is now waiting for the other two reports, which must be completed shortly. It then depends on whether and in which direction the preliminary investigation against the kindergarten teacher is continued.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
