According to a report by ORF Lower Austria, the father was first informed of the problems by the school six days before the then twelve-year-old was taken to the hospital in a life-threatening condition.
The father said he had not previously seen his son for about six months because his mother had “socially isolated” him. The boy lost almost 30 kilos in 2022. For a long time, the man did not hear about two reports of danger to child and youth welfare services – one from the school and one from the hospital – until his son’s teacher contacted him. He was informed that his child “has lost a lot of weight, is missing a lot of school and the mother wants to move.”
Video: The father in conversation
The father then informed the authorities that his son wanted to see him again, according to the school, the ORF reported. The social worker replied that the child’s mother had been told to contact her former partner, but this did not happen. When the father asked “why no one asked,” he was told that they had believed “that we had everything figured out anyway because we had joint custody.”
At the time, the authority itself is said to have recorded in a conversation protocol that personal contact with both legal guardians was necessary. The father could have done more immediately at the time, but he “didn’t know it was so threatening,” he said in the interview. He finds the reaction of the responsible social workers to the risk reports incomprehensible.
Boy has recovered a bit
The father reported that his son has now recovered somewhat from his ordeal: “He will be able to live with it or he will have to learn to live with it. But we are on the right track and you can see from month to month that it is getting better and that he will gain more self-confidence again.”
Victim lawyer Timo Ruisinger asserted official liability claims against the state of Lower Austria out of court on Monday. A letter demands 150,000 euros in compensation for pain and suffering and liability for all future damage to the boy. The reason for this is that the relevant employees of the Waidhofen ad Thaya district administration reacted “totally inadequately, therefore unlawfully and culpably” to the child’s dramatic and life-threatening situation. A further internal review of the case by the state is now “being finalized,” it was said at the beginning of the week from the office of State Councilor Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig (SPÖ).
Beaten, tied, gagged
The mother is said to have beaten, bound, gagged her son and repeatedly locked him in a dog crate for hours. On November 22, 2022, the child was in an acute, life-threatening condition. The twelve-year-old survived because of the intervention of a social worker who was known to the family through counseling.
In a jury trial in Krems at the end of February, the 33-year-old received 20 years in prison for attempted murder, torturing or neglecting minors, younger or defenseless people, and for deprivation of liberty. Her former girlfriend was sentenced to 14 years for continued violence as a contributor or intended perpetrator. In both cases, they were also ordered to be placed in a forensic therapeutic center. Both verdicts are not final because the defense lawyers have filed an appeal.
