73-year-old Italian rapes 13-year-old Ukrainian girl, she becomes pregnant
23 July 2025 12:37
A court in Lower Austria sentenced a 73-year-old man to 8 years for raping a 13-year-old Ukrainian girl. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to DerStandard.
a 73-year-old man of Italian descent was sentenced to 8 years in prison. The verdict, however, has not yet entered into force, which leaves the possibility of an appeal.
Circumstances of the crime
The accused met the girl’s family – a mother and three daughters – in Ukraine in 2022, during the full-scale Russian invasion. He helped them move to Austria by arranging housing in the Weinviertel region. According to the prosecution, from the beginning of 2024, the man began to approach the 13-year-old girl, who, according to prosecutor Gudrun Bischof, agreed to “live as a couple.”
Subsequently, according to the prosecution, sexual intercourse occurred almost daily, leading to the girl’s pregnancy. After a positive pregnancy test, she initially wanted to carry the child to term, but her mother convinced her to have an abortion.
The crimes came to light thanks to the vigilance of the homeowner, who informed the school about the suspicious situation. The school, in turn, contacted the relevant authorities with a danger signal. The defendant was arrested on December 30 last year.
Charges and sentence
The man was charged with numerous sexual offenses against a minor, production of child sexual abuse materials, and abuse of power, as he partially acted as the girl’s guardian.
Judge Landesgericht Korneuburg emphasized that “there is no doubt about the guilt of the accused”. The sentence was 8 years in prison, given the gravity of the crimes and their long-term nature.
The court took into account both mitigating and aggravating circumstances. The mitigating factors included a partial plea of guilty to producing sexually violent materials, the defendant’s previous impeccable lifestyle, and the victim’s alleged consent. The aggravating factors were the numerous episodes of crimes, their duration, and the defendant’s use of his authority over the girl.
The position of the accused
During the trial, the man denied most of the allegations of sexual violence, claiming that he was incapable of fertilization. However, the medical examination did not confirm this unequivocally.
the 73-year-old man pleaded guilty only to producing materials with sexual abuse of children. The defendant also suggested that the charges could have been motivated by the financial interests of the girl’s family, which the court did not take into account as a valid argument.
The trial
The trial took place on July 22, 2025 in Landesgericht Korneuburg. The girl’s testimony was played through a video recording to protect her from additional stress, and the public was removed from the courtroom during the playback.
The girl’s mother said that she considered the defendant “like a father” and did not notice the abuse until she learned that her daughter was pregnant.
This fact added additional complexity to the case, as the family was in a vulnerable position as refugees.
