Courts in Germany and Austria hear assault and harassment cases

In Germany, the Baden-Baden District Court is conducting an appeal process regarding a violent assault on a bus driver at the Rastatt station forecourt. The case stems from an April 2025 incident where a 50-year-old Azerbaijani man allegedly engaged in a verbal dispute with a driver, struck him with an umbrella, and subsequently sprayed pepper spray into the bus entrance. The attack injured both the driver and a passenger, resulting in the driver being unable to work for two weeks.

In Austria, a court in Vienna is presiding over a trial involving four Bulgarian men accused of harassing four girls at the Laaerbergbad wave pool in June 2025. The charges include sexual coercion and rape. During the proceedings, three of the defendants appeared and pleaded not guilty. One defendant was absent due to reported illness in his home country, leading the court to temporarily exclude him from the proceedings. The allegations involve the suspects surrounding the victims underwater and engaging in inappropriate physical contact.