Court clears two of imprisoning woman, fines one for coercion

A regional court in Klagenfurt acquitted two defendants of unlawfully imprisoning a woman who was chained in an apartment for five days, ORF reported. A 49-year-old woman was fined 600 euros for coercion.

The defendants, a man and a woman, were accused of helping the main perpetrator hold the 30-year-old woman from the Spittal an der Drau district captive. The main perpetrator has already been convicted in a final ruling.

Last year, he allegedly lured the woman to an apartment under a pretext. The two knew each other well, having grown up together and later been in a relationship. Six people, including the two defendants, were waiting for her in the apartment. She was eventually chained by her feet in a darkened room.

The 49-year-old defendant, the convicted main perpetrator’s mother, admitted threatening to publish nude photographs of the woman if she reported another accomplice. She denied involvement in the unlawful imprisonment, as did the second defendant.

The victim’s testimony was central to the trial. She remains psychologically affected by her captivity. The defendants had to leave the courtroom while she was questioned.

The woman told the court that both defendants had been in the apartment and had seen her during her confinement. However, she could not remember them actively participating, unlike in her statement to police.

Judge Mathias Polak therefore acquitted both defendants on the imprisonment charge. The 49-year-old was convicted of coercion and fined 600 euros. The prosecution made no statement, so the ruling was not yet legally binding.