A group of teenagers are on trial in Austria after allegedly “gang raping” a teacher and holding her hostage before setting fire to her flat to destroy evidence.
18:06, 09 Oct 2025
The teens allegedly subjected the teacher to months of horrific abuse(Image: RTL/YouTube)
A gang of migrant schoolboys are accused of blackmailing, raping and holding a teacher hostage before torching her flat to destroy evidence. Seven boys aged between 14 and 17 are on trial in Austria over the woman’s alleged ordeal.
The alleged torment is said to have started in April 2024 after the woman, 28, had a legal and consensual relationship with a 17-year-old former pupil who was no longer at the school.
But the teen bragged to his friends about the relationship and soon a group of boys began turning up at the teacher’s home, it is alleged.
The teens — from Iraq, Romania and Afghanistan — are said to have claimed that they were part of a criminal gang and threatened to expose the relationship if the woman did not let them into her flat, the Sun reports.
The defendants are from migrant communities(Image: RTL/YouTube)
The flat was initially used as a safe house for storing drugs but prosecutors say the gang sexually assaulted the woman both individually and in groups, blackmailed her with recordings, and forced her to pay for their food, taxis, and cigarettes.
They are accused of filming the encounters to use as leverage and threatened to expose them to her school. Fearing for her job and reputation, the woman felt she had no choice but to endure months of abuse between July 2024 and January 2025, it was alleged.
Much of the trial took place behind closed doors to protect the woman’s identity and prevent further suffering. At one point, a polaroid of a positive pregnancy test was shown to the woman in order to increase the control they had over her.
The gang also stole cash and possessions from the teacher, it is claimed. The violence is said to have reached its peak in January 2025 while the teacher was abroad.
Three of the teens, two aged 15 and one 14, are accused of breaking in, stealing jewellery, watches, and sunglasses, and then setting fire to the flat to destroy evidence. The defendants have admitted to the burglary but deny deliberately starting the fire.
They were part of a larger gang of around 70-80(Image: RTL/YouTube)
The teens’ lawyers maintain that the encounters were consensual. While the defence has admitted to some thefts and drug-related offences, they categorically deny the sexual-violence charges.
When questioned about the arson, one defendant reportedly shrugged and said: “It wasn’t smart anyway.” Prosecutors have portrayed the group as a violent youth gang, allegedly numbering 70–80 members, who like to flaunt videos of their crimes.
A key issue in the trial is whether the teacher’s April 2024 relationship with a former pupil was consensual and lawful. The prosecution notes it was not a criminal offence, as the boy was over the age of consent and no longer a pupil.
They argue, however, that this relationship enabled the group’s subsequent campaign of pressure. Investigators have submitted a psychiatric report linking the assaults to chronic depression and PTSD.
Prosecutors also say phone records and other digital evidence reveal repeated visits and a coordinated campaign of intimidation from May 2024 onwards.
The trial continues next week(Image: RTL/YouTube)
The woman reportedly called in sick at the start of the new school year in September 2024, unable to face her pupils amid the harassment.
By November, prosecutors say the abuse had escalated, including assaults on her terrace and filmed incidents allowed for the blackmail.
If convicted, Some of the older boys in the group could face up to seven and a half years in prison. However, because most of the boys are under 18, any sentencing will be shaped by juvenile and rehabilitation law.
The trial is set to continue on October 15 with further testimony from defendants. This is before the closing arguments which are supposed to conclude on October 20.
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