Trial in Vienna: 21- and 19-year-old face court for rape of a 16-year-old

The 19-year-old is accused of likewise using violence to force the teenager to submit to sexual acts. Both are alleged to have filmed themselves during the sex obtained through violence and subsequently pressured the 16-year-old with the material.

According to the indictment, the 19-year-old also allegedly threatened the teenager that he would publish the video if she filed a report with the police. The 21-year-old allegedly threatened similarly: "Wenn du zur Polizei gehst, zeige ich das Video allen", he is said to have said.

Contact via Snapchat and meeting in Vienna

The 16-year-old had come to Vienna for a few days in May 2025 and had met the 21-year-old via Snapchat. According to her account, she took the train to the federal capital and met the man. The defendants denied the charges on Monday and pleaded "nicht schuldig" (not guilty).

The 21-year-old claimed that he had been in a relationship with the 16-year-old for a few weeks the previous year and had ended it because she "mit mehr als 40 anderen Personen eine Beziehung aufgenommen hat". "Ich wollte das beenden", he said according to details from the hearing. He conceded: "Wir waren in einer Beziehung."

Statements of the defendants

Regarding the time of the offense, he made contradictory statements. The only thing established is that the girl traveled to Vienna by train and met the defendants. The 19-year-old stated that he had only wanted to "nur Schuhe holen" (pick up shoes) in his cousin's apartment and had "nicht angefasst" (not touched) the 16-year-old there.

The defense lawyers for both defendants identified "Ungereimtheiten" (inconsistencies) in the witness's statements. One defense counsel complained: "Es hat keine Verletzungen gegeben und die junge Frau war bei keinem Arzt." The 21-year-old's defense lawyer also pointed out that no incriminating videos had been found on his client's seized phone.

Defense sees inconsistencies

The girl gave extensive testimony during her cross-examination. Only afterward was the older of the two Syrians taken into pretrial detention. During the hearing, a farewell message was also addressed that the teenager allegedly left behind when fleeing the apartment: "Ich geh nicht raus!" and "Scheiß Schlampen!".

The prosecutor described a course of events in which the victim was locked in the apartment and forced into sex despite repeated requests to let her go. The 16-year-old had initially resisted, according to this account, but then gave in.

Background of the defendants

The two defendants are cousins and have been living in Austria for several years. As emerged from the hearing, they attended school only briefly in their home country – one of them, according to this, "nur zwei Jahre eine Volksschule" (only two years of elementary school).

The exact time of the offense remained unclear even on the first day of the trial. According to the prosecution, the crime allegedly took place in the late spring of the previous year, i.e., in May or June 2025. The defense attempted to narrow the timeframe further and pointed to partially missing medical documentation.

The defendants' Syrian origin was addressed during the hearing, as was their residency status in Austria. The defense lawyers argued that the charges could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt and questioned the credibility of the witness.

Further course of the proceedings

The proceedings are not yet concluded. Further hearing dates have been scheduled, during which, among other things, the questioning of the witness is to continue and possible evidence is to be examined. Both defendants are in pretrial detention.

The case attracted attention beyond the trial itself because it raises questions about the protection of minors from sexual violence and about the role of social media in establishing contact between young people. The teenager had met the later first defendant via Snapchat.