While day three of the Hells Angels trial takes place on the ground floor of the Vienna Regional Court under the strictest security measures, an unusual trial of six young men is taking place two floors above. The Syrians are accused of animal cruelty towards a hedgehog. But the case turns out to be completely different from what the public prosecutor charged.
According to the Viennese public prosecutor’s office, the defendants, most of whom work as food deliverers, allegedly abused a hedgehog in a parking lot in Bohemian Prater on May 10. “They threw him back and forth and kicked him for several minutes. The second defendant also tried to set it on fire,” the prosecutor begins. The sextet pleads “not guilty” of the incident.
Hedgehog was sitting behind a parked car
The 22-year-old first defendant reports that they often meet at this location to play football or cards. “We heard a noise behind a car. “Then we saw it was a hedgehog,” he remembers. “I took him with me and wanted to put him in the bush where he was safe and couldn’t be run over.” Before that, they took pictures of the hedgehog for social media. They also put children’s sunglasses on the animal and briefly sprayed it with water. They then placed the spiky encounter in the bushes.
Was the ad an intrigue?
The suspect is certain: “The complaint is racially motivated.” There was a group of Turks in the parking lot and there were problems between Turks and Syrians at the time. The Turkish group also drove carts into the parking lot and almost rammed them.
The other suspects describe the situation in a similar way. “We have never seen a hedgehog in our lives. That’s why we took the photos and the videos.” The second defendant shows Judge Katharina Adegbite-Lewy the recordings – including a video of the young men petting the hedgehog. “There is no evidence of any form of abuse,” says Mrs. Rat.
Witnesses contradict each other
The first of the two women to file a complaint, who is apparently a friend of the Turkish group, gave a more diluted picture of the situation during the trial than she did to the police. Suddenly throwing and kicking for minutes on end were no longer a problem. “They were already working hard on the hedgehog. In the end they threw him into the bushes,” the woman says now. He puts the second witness more sharply: “It’s like throwing a glass bottle on the ground with full force,” she claims. “And the others laughed.” They also played “football” with the hedgehog and sprayed him with rim spray.
Image not rolled on evidence images
“Why would we hurt animals that have done nothing to us? We have pets that we love,” says one of the young men. Another said he had three cats and two birds at home and was shocked by the accusation.
Also strange: the witnesses took two photos of the hedgehog after the alleged abuse. You see the animal and the young people standing around it. The hedgehog is not curled up and does not appear scared or injured. The police later looked for the hedgehog, but it could not be found.
Smooth acquittal
After a two-and-a-half-hour trial, the judge, as expected, acquitted the six defendants – not legally binding because the prosecutor made no statement.
The Turkish group has achieved one thing: the Syrians have now looked for another place to ‘relax’. It is unclear whether the witnesses will be prosecuted for providing false evidence.
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.
