March 21, 2021
Prince Ernst August of Hanover is scheduled to appear in court for trial in Wels, Austria, this week. He could be sentenced to three years in jail.
The 67-year-old prince is accused of negligence, "by putting himself in a state of insanity with alcohol and medication," reports the Nachrichten, an Austrian newspaper. He allegedly attacked a police officer and threatened another office and several employees. If he had not been under the influence of alcohol and drugs, he would have been charged with "resisting state authority, grievous bodily harm, dangerous threats, property damage, and coercion."
During the evening of July 15, police were called to Ernst August's hunting lodge in Grünau, where he became violent and attacked a police officer.
The public prosecutor's office states that one of the major issues is the enforcement of a provisional gun and the need to have Ernst August committed. The prince, according to one of the original news reports, made the call to the police because he felt threatened by his housekeeping couple. Medical officials recommended that he be reprimanded to a hospital for further treatment.
Ernst August claimed that he had been beaten by police officers. His complaints again the police force and the provisional gun ban are "pending at the Regional Administrative Courts of Upper Austria."
Five days after the first attack, Ernst August faced more charges when he was accused of threatening a policewoman with a baseball bat. He took a taxi to the local police station to report the police violence. As the officers who were named in his complaint were not at the station when he arrived, the prince left "without achieving anything."
He was on his way home when he met with two policewomen and spoke to them from the taxi. According to the police report, Ernst August made verbal violent threats against one of the policewomen. He had brought a baseball bat with him, and it was lying on the floor of the taxi next to him.
A third complaint was filed against Prince Ernst August on September 7. He was said to have broken a window in a house that belonged to a member of the Herzog von Cumberland foundation. The complaint also noted that Ernst August allegedly tried to force the couple and their daughter from the building.
He was arrested for this incident and jailed for two days.
His lawyer, Malte Berlin, complains that Ernst August, who is "exposed to massive media prejudice" will not receive a fair trial. Berlin said that Ernst August does not "personally want to contribute."
The German celebrity magazine Bunte has speculated that Ernst August's defense strategy will claim that he obtained the alcohol from the housekeeping couple although they knew he was not permitted to consume it.
More than ten witnesses and a psychiatric expert will be called into the trial. The trial will be postponed if Ernst August does not appear. He does not have to answer the judge's questions about his income, assets, and debts, but should he be sentenced to a fine, the court will make inquiries into his financial situation.
The court has received a number of media requests from the German press. Due to COVID-19, there will be a limited number of people allowed into the court so the journalists must register in advance. Their cell phones and laptops will not be allowed in the courtroom to avoid live updates.
1 comment:
Good Lord I guess this is why Princess Caroline has chosen to live away from him. This case sounds like a continuance of his raging, alcohol-fueled violent outbursts. Very sad.
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