23-Year-Old from Vienna-Floridsdorf Convicted After Drug Incident Involving Daughter

Course of the Night

The forensic expert, however, pointed out that drugs were also detected in the blood of the 23-year-old. In court, the defendant denied having consumed drugs that evening. He does not take drugs, only a little cannabis in the past. That evening, he had only consumed alcohol.

The defendant also attempted to shift part of the responsibility onto his female companion. He could imagine that his girlfriend had the drugs in her bag, which was standing next to the child's bed. The judge did not accept this explanation.

Statements in Court

The judge directly accused the man of shirking responsibility: "Es besteht kein Zweifel, dass Sie verantwortlich sind und sich nun auf die Freundin rausreden". She also asked: "Woher hatte sie das? Das wird sie sich ja nicht auf der Straße gekauft haben".

Verdict and Further Proceedings

A previously unblemished 23-year-old was convicted on Friday of negligent bodily harm, according to the trial summary. He received – not final – five months on probation. Since the 23-year-old was not represented by a lawyer, the verdict was not final.

The public prosecutor's office waived its right to appeal. Whether and in what form the defendant would file an appeal initially remained open. The judge also remarked: "Im Idealfall hat man sowas gar nicht daheim".

The case raises questions about the supervisory duty of parents and about responsibility when handling addictive substances in households where small children live. The trial also made clear how quickly a careless moment can have life-threatening consequences for a small child.