Thursday 2 March 2017

Austrian court convicts 8 Iraqis of gang-raping German

An Austrian court found eight Iraqi nationals guilty on Thursday of gang-raping a German tourist on New Year's Eve and sentenced them to prison terms of between nine and 13 years.

Charges against a ninth suspect were dismissed, said a court statement. The victim — a 28-year old woman — was awarded 25,000 euros (over $26,000) in damages.

The statement said that both sides were appealing the decision.

The Iraqis, aged between 22 and 48, came to Austria as migrants between May and December 2015. Five of them subsequently were given refugee status.

The prosecution charged that the eight exploited the fact that the victim had been drinking heavily and was unable to defend herself on the night she was raped.

The court heard testimony that four of the men took her to a Vienna apartment where they were joined by the others and that all took turns raping her. When she regained control, she found herself naked in a bed.

Prosecutor Karina Fehringer said the victim continues to suffer post-traumatic effects from the assault that required psychiatric treatment.

AP

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