A group of adolescent boys reportedly extorted and sexually assaulted a teacher before looting and setting fire to her apartment. The 28-year-old woman allegedly endured torment from seven teenagers aged 14 to 17 between May 2024 and January 2025, following a consensual relationship with a former 17-year-old student who had left the school.
According to court proceedings in Austria, the ex-pupil boasted about the relationship to friends, leading to a series of visits by the boys who claimed affiliation with a criminal organization. They threatened to reveal the relationship unless granted access to the teacher’s residence.
The teenagers, originating from Iraq, Romania, and Afghanistan, purportedly transformed the teacher’s home into a base for storing illicit substances. They subjected her to sexual assaults both individually and in groups, leveraging recordings for blackmail and coercing her to cover expenses like food, transportation, and cigarettes.
Allegedly filming the assaults, the group menaced to distribute the footage within the school if she resisted. Fearing job repercussions, the woman suffered in silence, enduring prolonged abuse.
During the trial, prosecutors accused the teens of stealing money and belongings from the teacher. Subsequently, in January 2025, three of the boys, aged 14 and 15, allegedly burgled the apartment, taking jewelry, watches, and sunglasses before setting it on fire to eliminate evidence.
While the defendants acknowledged the burglary, they refuted intentionally starting the blaze. Their legal representatives contended that the encounters were consensual, though they admitted to certain thefts and drug-related offenses, vehemently denying the sexual assault charges.
Prosecutors disclosed that the youth gang, comprising 70 to 80 members, shared videos of their criminal acts online. Evidence, including phone records and digital data, indicated a pattern of intimidation from May 2024 onwards.
In September 2024, the teacher reportedly called in sick at the commencement of the school year due to the alleged mistreatment. By November, the abuse had intensified, culminating in assaults on her terrace and recorded incidents for further coercion.
The trial is scheduled to resume on October 15.