From one trial to another: following the conclusion of Anna-Sophia’s trial, another underage girl has made serious accusations against the notorious Antonsplatz youth gang, including sexual abuse and brutal violence.
The—mostly immigrant—gang has just been acquitted of all charges in a specifically similar case.
The new witness, a then-12-year-old girl, described how a teenage gang in Vienna’s Favoriten district had abused and threatened her, and also recounted the brutal violence she had been subjected to. The girl, who is now 15 years of age, claims she—like Anna—was repeatedly harassed in stairwells and bathrooms.
The boys repeatedly forced her to perform sexual acts against her will. One is alleged to have held a gun to her head, then pushed her to the ground and laughed. The victim was also forced to shoplift and subjected to further threats.
The boys mocked the victim in text messages:
- You whore, I’ll cut your tongue out for this bastard [sic] – inshallah;
- “Do you really want to be found dead in a trash can in little pieces? [ENDS]
In addition to the threats, physical violence was routine, with the older members of the gang spitting on, kicking, and beating the girl. Once, this escalated to such an extent that the girl ended up in hospital with concussion, a bleeding lip, and bruises.
Investigators had previously found child pornography on the boys’ cellphones, and an investigation into this is already underway. During the investigation, a youth psychologist said that “the accused show no empathy for the victims.”
