20 euros per week or there will be a beating; that was the threat 15 young people faced when they were added to a Snapchat group in mid-April 2023. The alleged debt collector must appear in court in Vienna. But it quickly becomes clear: he is not the evil master behind the blackmail.
The young people had big eyes when they were added to a group on the social network Snapchat in mid-April last year – with the rather self-explanatory name ‘Collect money’. “Then they blackmailed people into paying 20 euros a week or they would be beaten,” a 17-year-old boy explained to the judge at the Vienna Regional Court.
The intended perpetrator is actually a completely different person?
That is why there is now a Ugandan of the same age in the dock. His job in the protection racket: he had to collect the amounts from the victims. However, during the trial it soon becomes clear that there is a completely different, unknown perpetrator behind the plan: “Mario wrote that this is a group for protection money. I said I don’t want to pay that. Then he told me to just collect the money.” The 17-year-old agreed out of fear.
Brutal beating video scared young people
Because Mario, who cannot be traced by the police, enjoys a reputation in the Essling district in the 22nd arrondissement. Just a few days before the Snapchat group was created, he beat up another teen. A video played by the judge makes the cruelty clear. Mario repeatedly punched his victim in the head and, as he lay there in the fetal position, shouted, “Get up when you’re talking to me” – only to take him down again with kicks and punches.
This short video is said to have made the rounds among the young people in Vienna-Donaustadt. The stranger threatened the group members with the same if they did not comply with the demands for money. Also the 17-year-old suspect. “You could have gone to the police like the other victims. Now if someone says to you, “I won’t shoot you if you shoot someone else, you can’t just shoot anyone,” Ms. Rat explains with an extreme example.
Nevertheless: the jury acquits the young Ugandan. As the public prosecutor already indicated in her closing argument, an exculpatory state of emergency must be assumed. The unknown Mario, of whom the police know photos from the beating video and the area where he lives, remains missing…
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
