Former bailiff gets 10-month suspended sentence for sexual offence

A former bailiff has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended, for violating a woman’s sexual autonomy while on duty, ORF reported. The Ried Regional Court convicted him on one count and acquitted him of the other allegations. The judgment is final.

The 48-year-old was accused of coercing a woman into sexual acts during an enforcement action in April 2025, taking advantage of her difficult situation. Prosecutors also alleged that the previous year he had forced three other women into unwanted kisses or groped them, and had demanded sexual favours in exchange for not carrying out enforcement actions.

The man denied the allegations, suggesting they stemmed from a conspiracy or misunderstandings. One woman said he told her, when she could not pay, “There are other ways to resolve this.” He said he had not meant this sexually. He explained DNA traces found across one victim’s body by saying he had coughed.

The court ordered him to pay the woman in the case resulting in conviction 900 euros in partial compensation. Another woman came forward during the trial, prompting further investigations into suspected sexual coercion. The court treated the defendant’s clean record as a mitigating factor and his position as a public official as an aggravating one. Neither the prosecution nor the defence appealed.