[ad_1]
Surviving dependents of the victim have the option of submitting a request to continue the investigation. So far this has not happened, said the spokesman for the Public Prosecutor Erich Habitzl according to the “press” report. Most commonly, the APA said a justification request had been filed. A decision on a continuation request will be made after receiving the reasons.
“Not all possibilities of evidence were exhausted”
In the case of the dead soldier, the responsible dog handler and the armed forces were exonerated, mostly thanks to the expert opinion of Esther Schalke, a canine expert from Germany.
The 31-year-old himself had taken too great a security risk when he let two four-legged friends who later attacked him run free without a leash or collar, was the conclusion.
Erich Gemeiner, a lawyer for the soldier’s family, denounced this Wednesday that “all the possibilities of evidence had not been exhausted” as part of the preliminary investigation. “The dead are guilty because they can no longer defend themselves.”
Armed forces spokesman Michael Bauer was reluctant to respond to an APA request. He declined to comment on the hiring decision. The colonel emphasized that they wanted to wait for the law to be final.
On November 14 of the previous year, the 31-year-old soldier was found dead shortly before 2 am Among other things, the man was in charge of exercising and feeding several dogs. He went to the kennel around 4pm the day before.
According to a DNA report, bite marks from the two Malinois “Hati” and “Ragna” were found on the 31-year-old’s body. The investigation report of the Armed Forces presented to the Public Ministry in December 2019 concluded that there was a “serious conflict situation” between the victim and “Hati”.
It was emphasized that no information could be given about the role of the second youngest dog, “Ragna”. While “Ragna” was returned to the breeder and owner, “Hati” was put to sleep.
