14-year-old denies knife threat as trial is adjourned

A 14-year-old accused of threatening a 17-year-old with a butterfly knife has denied the charge at Feldkirch Regional Court, and the trial has been adjourned indefinitely, ORF reported.

The alleged incident took place in Dornbirn in August, according to the indictment. The teenager was brought to court in handcuffs and escorted by two uniformed officers. He had been held in pre-trial detention at Feldkirch prison since Wednesday.

The defendant said he had not threatened anyone with a knife. He argued that this could not have happened because his mother had taken all his weapons from him at the start of the year.

During questioning, he briefly became agitated when asked why he denied having a knife rather than denying the threat itself. He said staff at the detention centre had refused to give him medication for ADHD.

The prosecutor said the teenager was already known to authorities. The defendant said a weapons ban had been imposed on him after a burglary. He acknowledged having made many mistakes in the past, but said he had ended contact with former associates and now attended school every day.

The alleged victim and a witness did not attend the hearing, so the judge adjourned the case. No date has been set for it to resume.