A group of schoolboys reportedly extorted and sexually assaulted a teacher before breaking into and setting fire to her apartment. The 28-year-old woman endured harassment from the seven teenagers, aged 14 to 17, between May 2024 and January 2025. According to court proceedings in Austria, the woman’s troubles began after she engaged in a legal relationship with a 17-year-old ex-student who had left the school.
The court heard that the former student boasted about the relationship to his friends, leading a group of boys to start appearing at the teacher’s residence. The teenagers allegedly used intimidation tactics, claiming affiliation with a criminal organization and threatening to expose the relationship unless granted access to her apartment.
The teens, hailing from Iraq, Romania, and Afghanistan, purportedly used the teacher’s home as a base for storing drugs. They reportedly sexually assaulted her, extorted money, and coerced her into covering their expenses. The group allegedly recorded the assaults and threatened to share the footage if she resisted their demands, causing the woman to endure months of abuse without seeking help due to job-related concerns.
During the trial, prosecutors stated that the teenagers stole cash and items from the teacher, culminating in a burglary in January 2025 where three teens allegedly stole valuables and set fire to the apartment. While the defendants admitted to the burglary, they denied intentionally starting the fire. Their legal representatives argued that the encounters were consensual, although they acknowledged involvement in theft and drug-related activities, vehemently refuting the sexual assault allegations.
Prosecutors revealed that the youth gang, comprising approximately 70 to 80 members, exhibited criminal behavior online. Evidence from phone records and digital sources indicated a pattern of intimidation starting in May 2024. The woman’s distress escalated throughout the school year, prompting her to take sick leave in September 2024 and eventually leading to more severe abuse by November.
The trial is scheduled to resume on October 15.