A 41-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday by a Vienna court to five months in prison for persistently pursuing a woman he stalked from March 2020 to February 2022 and who, according to prosecutors, had unreasonably affected her lifestyle. He followed the 14-year-old woman to the supermarket as she went shopping, where one day he knelt in front of her and proposed to her in front of some customers.
The defender reported that the 55-year-old’s acceptance of the ring, which the man handed her to her, probably out of sheer overwhelm and not refusing, boosting his hopes that she could become his wife. “I have feelings for her,” the defendant admitted. He finds it difficult to deal with the fact that these are not answered. But now he sees that his actions were wrong: “I’m very sorry.” He would “leave the woman alone”.
From informal acquaintance to daily stalking
The two met in 2004 during a long bus ride from Bulgaria to Vienna. They got along well, but more than an informal acquaintance developed. 16 years later, the man, who works as a taxi driver in Vienna, suddenly approached the woman again, showered her with vows of love, appeared in front of her apartment almost every day, rang the bell until one o’clock, left flowers , passed her on the left, followed her in the car and promised that he would marry her. “You are mine, you are my wife,” he called to her. He even contacted the woman’s adult daughter via Facebook and tried to get closer to the 55-year-old.
“I still have insomnia”
“Me and my daughter were scared,” the victim told the judge. At first, she tried to “humanely” teach the accused that she was not interested in him and that she had a steady partner for years. The defendant simply did not accept it. Last spring she finally filed a complaint, in which a ban on approaching and contact was issued. “Since then it has calmed down a bit. I have not seen him again. I still sleep badly,” said the woman.
In addition to the suspended sentence, the judge issued a contact order for the duration of the probation period of three years. If the previously impeccable 41-year-old violates this during this period, he risks having his suspended sentence revoked and face jail time. For the injustice suffered, the woman was awarded the requested amount of 500 euros. The verdict is not final. The 41-year-old asked for a reflection period, the public prosecutor initially gave no explanation.
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.
