Overview

• At the opening hearing, the prosecutor alleged the then 12-year-old was brought into the operating room and drilled a hole in the exposed skull on her own.
• Defense lawyers acknowledged the girl's presence against hospital rules but argued she only placed her hand on the surgeon's hand or on the drill while the surgeon set the hole, saying the procedure was complication-free.
• The patient, a 33-year-old Styrian farmer injured by a falling branch, underwent the January 2024 emergency operation at the Graz regional hospital.
• The prosecution described the act as disrespectful to the patient and cited penalties of up to one year in prison or a fine for medical interventions by untrained persons.
• Reporting notes the mother allegedly boasted that her daughter had set her first bore hole, the two doctors have been placed on leave, and the court plans to hear operating room witnesses with no date set for a second hearing.