Trial in Vienna: 60-Year-Old Allegedly Stalked Gallery Owner for Years – Expert Diagnoses Erotomanic Delusion

After the initial contacts, he said he had hoped the gallery owner would "sich auf mich einlassen will". He said he had wanted to "eine Familie gründen wollen" with her. "Ich wollte ja eine Familie mit ihr gründen", the 60-year-old told the lay panel chaired by Judge Christoph Bauer.

From Gallery Visit to Persistent Pursuit

The gallery owner rejected his approaches. The man was blocked on her phone, but in 2025 he continued to make contact by email and in person. Especially in the summer of 2025, he showed up in person on some days nearly daily; on one occasion he even brought one of his paintings by.

He said this had been "sehr verstörend" for him: "Da wollte ich wissen, warum das mit den Push Backs gewesen ist." He had wondered "warum ich als Künstler auf Widerstand stoße und sie nicht mit mir redet". When the judge asked what he made of the rejection, the defendant replied: "Ich habe das als Pushback empfunden."

One of his letters had been answered "sehr unfreundlich" by an employee, the defendant said. Later, he spoke of a "hasserfüllten" reply. "Es hat mich verstört", M. stated. The judge admonished him: "Sie hat sie angezeigt, weil sie es nicht mehr ausgehalten hat."

Nude Photos and Insulting Messages

The situation was inflamed by messages the man sent to the gallery. "Ich will Sex mit euch allen haben!", reads one message sent to the gallery; the 61-year-old also transmitted an image of his unclothed body. When presiding Judge Bauer asked why he had sent the woman nude photos, the defendant explained: "Weil ich mich umfassend vorstellen wollte."

The presiding judge pressed further: "Was ist Ihre Kunst?" The man replied that he paints abstractly on a smartphone. To the objection that this would "nicht recht groß" turn out to be, the defendant countered: "Das kann man skalieren." He had plotted out some of his works and enlarged them to 2.50 meters.

When asked by the judge what kind of artistic value he creates, the man replied: "Ich male Emotionen." His art was "sehr gut". He also expressed the conviction that the gallery owner was "interessiert daran, mit mir Kontakt aufzunehmen". Before Christmas, she had written to him saying she had debts. Bauer pressed: "Und Sie glauben, die Nachricht war von der Galeristin?"

The accused acknowledged that he had been blocked. "Für mich war das logisch, dass ich ihr schreibe", he said. "Die Hoffnung oder den Wahn?", the presiding judge remarked in response.

Psychiatrist Identifies Erotomanic Delusion

The court-appointed psychiatric expert, Peter Hofmann, certified the man with a "Liebeswahn". Hofmann affirmed that the placement in a forensic-therapeutic center, as applied for by the prosecution under Section 21(1) of the Criminal Code, was warranted "als von dem Mann eine Gefahr ausgehe".

The doctor from the forensic-therapeutic unit at Josefstadt Prison also reached a clear finding: "In einem Berufsfeld, wo wir die Türen offen halten müssen." According to this, the defendant lacked insight into his illness and his offenses.

The expert also described the course of the illness: the symptoms had first become apparent in 2002; since 2014, the man had no longer been taking medication, and his mental state had deteriorated. At least five women had turned to the authorities since 2017 because of M.

No Insight – Despite Willingness to Learn

The defendant sees the situation entirely differently. "Ich habe ein verkorkstes Leben gehabt", he said. He is an artist and therefore approached the gallery owner in 2023. "Ich war noch nie so gesund wie jetzt!", the retiree asserted. "Mein Leben ist zerstört!" From his perspective, he is completely innocent. "Mein Ruf ist ruiniert", lamented the recipient of a disability pension.

The prospect of remaining in pretrial detention infuriated the man: "Das ist überschießend." Pretrial detention was "völlig unverhältnismäßig!", M. protested as the prison guards were putting handcuffs on him. "Ich bin zu Unrecht in Haft!", the disability pensioner protested. A measure that the previously unconvicted Austrian does not understand at all.

Trial Adjourned – Gallery Owner on Vacation

Toward the end of the hearing, the defendant showed partial insight: "Ich hab daraus gelernt." In the future, he would not actively seek out women, but rather "es auf mich zukommen lassen". He still wanted to start a family, "aber ich werde auf diese Art und Weise nicht mehr versuchen, auf diesem Wege eine Frau zu gewinnen". "Aber jetzt bin ich in der Lage, Kontinuität hineinzubringen", he is convinced.

Because the gallery owner is currently on vacation, and the defendant and his defense counsel, Iris Augendoppler, insist on the woman testifying in person, Judge Bauer ultimately adjourned the case indefinitely, though he penciled in a date on the 27th.

The proceedings cast a spotlight on the boundaries between obsessive love and conduct that is criminally relevant. The psychiatric finding of an erotomanic delusion, along with the prior history involving at least five affected women, illustrate the scale of the issue that has occupied the authorities for nearly a decade.