The Austrian actor Florian Teichtmeister has been sentenced to two years in prison for possessing and producing child pornography, which corresponds to a suspended sentence in Germany. In addition, the accused is subject to conditions: he must undergo psychotherapy and prove his abstinence from alcohol and drugs.
The public prosecutor accused Teichtmeister of downloading more than 76,000 files from the Internet between 2008 and 2021 that show sexualised violence against children and young people. Teichtmeister is said to have edited some of the files. Therefore, according to the indictment, not only was the offense of possession fulfilled, the accused was also guilty of producing child pornographic content. In the plea, prosecutor Julia Kalmar called for a severe prison sentence and placement in a forensic institution.
The trial before the Vienna Regional Criminal Court began in the morning with descriptions of extremely brutal fantasies of abuse recorded in writing. The prosecutor read the relevant texts for several minutes, which the actor had attached to the files. According to the prosecutor, these can be described as “paedo-sadistic”.
The defendant Florian Teichtmeister in court.
(Photo: Barbara Gindl/dpa)
The investigation started after Teichtmeister’s girlfriend at the time called the police two years ago. Teichtmeister’s lawyer admitted in the process that his client had pedophilic and sadistic traits. Teichtmeister was driven by pornography and cocaine addiction, but is now being treated. In addition, his confession must be taken into account as a mitigating penalty.
The defendant himself had spoken extensively in court. He largely admitted the allegations. When asked by the judge whether he was a pedophile, he said yes. After the verdict was rendered, Teichtmeister immediately said that he would accept it and would not appeal against it.
The 43-year-old actor, who is known from television, cinema and theater, has won numerous awards in his career, for several years – from 2019 to 2023 – he was a member of the ensemble of the famous Burgtheater in Vienna. Actually, the trial should have taken place in February, but at that time Teichtmeister apologized for health reasons.
The current process was accompanied by a small demonstration. Under the motto “Hands off our children,” a few dozen people gathered near the courthouse with a mock gallows.