Oct 8, 2025 12:06 p.m
(Act. October 8, 2025 12:42)
The man was given a partially suspended sentence of two years.
© What/Erwin Scheriu
The verdict for the 43-year-old from Lower Austria was announced on Wednesday: 2 years in prison, including 16 months on probation. He had tracked a former employee using GPS tracking, threatened her and distributed AI-generated images of her.
A 43-year-old was sentenced on Wednesday at the St. Pölten Regional Court to 24 months in prison for stalking and arson, including 16 months on probation, although the verdict is not yet final. The defendant confessed to attaching GPS trackers to vehicles, sending threatening messages and publicly placing sexually explicit images generated by AI. In order to portray himself as a victim, he set fire to his home in the St. Pölten district.
“My fuses blew” – Boss searches the Internet for stalking instructions
The lawsuits were triggered by an insult: a former employee of the defendant, who worked as a manager in an educational institution, did not want to enter into a relationship with him and had a new partner. “From one day to the next she no longer wanted any contact. That must have blown my fuse,” said the defendant. The 43-year-old then searched the Internet for instructions on how to stalk someone, the prosecutor said. The defendant began “making life hell” for the woman and her male acquaintances.
GPS tracking and humiliating AI images
In February, he installed GPS trackers on his own vehicle and on the cars of the victim and her partner, reported the defendant, who was defended by Rudolf Mayer. For him it was less about stalking and more about “staying in touch by portraying myself as a victim”: “It was like a bad play.”
Starting in mid-April, he sent AI-generated messages via email and SMS. In addition, he created fake profiles from which he also sent threats, as well as – also with the help of AI – sexually explicit images that he posted in the woman's shared apartment on her child's way to school and at his own workplace. The prosecutor stated that the female victim had been “severely impaired throughout her life” by the defendant.
The perpetrator set his own house on fire
“The final escalation level was arson,” reported the defendant. He had previously placed grave candles in front of the woman and her partner's house and threatened to set a fire. Finally, at the end of June, he committed arson at his own home address, which was probably larger than intended. He placed a lit candle in a shed and the flames spread to a pile of wood and the roof truss. He is said to have announced further arsons via email.
Ultimately, the 43-year-old, who was initially considered a victim, was identified as a suspect and arrested on July 4th, followed by remand. A search of his office uncovered a prepaid phone on which the messages were found. The man lost his job – according to him, he was fired.
Expert report diagnoses personality disorder
A report confirms that the 43-year-old had a personality disorder that developed into a personality disorder at the time of the crime. “It was like a spiral,” reported the defendant. In order to be able to recognize “exit points” in the future, he undergoes psychotherapy. During the trial, 13,000 euros in compensation were paid out to the female victim and 2,000 euros to the male victim in cash. A total of 11,000 euros were donated to other private individuals. In his closing words, the 43-year-old apologized to the victims: “I am incredibly sorry and it is certainly the biggest mistake of my life so far.”
The Lower Austrian was convicted in the jury trial of, among other things, persistent stalking, dangerous threats and arson. He also has to pay 580 euros to the male victim. The private parties were referred to the civil court with further claims. The 43-year-old must adhere to a comprehensive ban on contact and was sentenced to psychotherapy.
The presiding judge said that there were a large number of crimes and “the criminal energy was extremely high” because the defendant suffered from a personality disorder. The resulting reduction in culpability was therefore the most important mitigating circumstance in sentencing, along with the confession, the previously orderly lifestyle and the compensation. Since the public prosecutor's office has filed an appeal, the verdict is not final.
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