Vienna court acquits parents in infant abuse case

A Vienna Regional Court has issued a final acquittal for a 39-year-old father and a 30-year-old mother accused of causing severe bodily harm to their infant. While the presiding judge stated, “One of the two of you did it,” she noted that the specific perpetrator could not be legally identified.

The infant, born in October 2024, suffered multiple bone fractures in its legs caused by what medical experts described as “rotational and centrifugal movements.” Prosecutors had alleged the father was the direct perpetrator and the mother was an accomplice for failing to prevent the abuse. Both parents denied the allegations, maintaining they could not explain the injuries.

The case revealed that the couple met during the father's prison furlough. The father has a criminal record involving four previous convictions for violent offenses. The injuries were discovered in February 2025 after the mother took the child to a pediatrician.