The justice system reacted quickly after it became known that the dog “Elmo”, who had bitten a 60-year-old jogger to death in Naarn, could have been armed. The investigation has been expanded and the owner faces a maximum sentence three times as severe.
“The investigation was expanded from suspicion of negligent homicide to grossly negligent homicide,” explains Ulrike Breiteneder, spokeswoman for the Linz public prosecutor’s office, in an interview with the “Krone”. One reason for this, but not the only one, are pictures that show Staffordshire Terrier “Elmo” attacking and biting a trainer during training exactly three years ago. Animal rights activists speak of “sharpening”. However, the dog owners emphasize that “Elmo” was purely a family dog and was not trained as a protection dog. “The expansion of the investigation does not mean that this will also be charged or convicted in court. However, everything needs to be clarified,” explains Breiteneder. Different court responsible This change in the paragraph also changes the court’s jurisdiction: for offenses up to a maximum of one year in prison, as is the case with negligent homicide, the district court is responsible. Now, with a maximum threat of three years, jurisdiction is moving to the Linz Regional Court.
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