BRITAIN-ABUSE/AUSTRIA UPDATE Austrian court sentences British soldier to nine years for child rape

Record ID: 147134

  • Title: BRITAIN-ABUSE/AUSTRIA UPDATE Austrian court sentences British soldier to nine years for child rape
  • Date: 14th July 2015
  • Summary: INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA (JULY 14, 2015) (REUTERS) HAND-CUFFED CONVICTED RAPIST BEING LED AWAY IN HALLWAY VARIOUS OF LAWYER FOR JOINT PLAINTIFFS, ULRICH ORTLER, STANDING IN HALLWAY, LOOKING AT MOBILE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) LAWYER FOR JOINT PLAINTIFFS, ULRICH ORTLER, SAYING: "In my view the verdict is balanced. The court justified the verdict well. I believe that this is indeed a very
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAB9NU6833MWBJ2WJY48BDQGUOM
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A British soldier was sentenced to nine years in prison on Tuesday (July 14) after a court in Austria found him guilty of raping a six-year-old girl last November.
    The 29-year-old man was detained on November 29 in the Austrian province of Tyrol, outside the house where he sexually assaulted and raped the child in the early hours of the morning. He has since been detained in custody.
    The lawyer for the joint plaintiffs, Ulrich Ortler told reporters that the verdict was "balanced".
    "I believe that this is indeed a very serious case and that the sentence is adequate," Ortler said.
    "The family of the victim is going through very difficult times because of what happened. They are unwilling to make any statement and I would ask for their wish to be respected," he added.
    Lawyer for the convicted rapist, Laszlo Szabo, said the sentence was "too severe" and that they would appeal it.
    "There is a range between one and ten years and for someone who never committed a crime in Austria before, this is too long. You can't always start at the top," Szabo said.
    At the time of the arrest, the Heute newspaper reported that the incident took place while British soldiers were in Tyrol for mountain training.
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