Taxi drivers are said to have attacked drunk passengers in front of discos for years to steal from them. It is said that they mainly focus on expensive watches. On Thursday, the Vienna Regional Court saw only one guilty verdict against the main defendant, who had made a partial confession (four years), and three acquittals in cases of doubt. The statements are not legally binding.
According to the indictment, taxi drivers between the ages of 34 and 57 are mainly after their customers’ expensive wristwatches. They were therefore primarily accused of serious commercial theft. In the jury trial, nearly twenty charges of theft were brought before the jury. In two other cases in which the watch was forcibly torn from the person’s wrist or an attempt was made to do so, the main defendant was charged with theft.
Damage of 350,000 euros
A total of 350,000 euros in damage is suffered. Another man was also charged with receiving stolen property, allegedly arranging the repurchase of a stolen chronometer. In this case no evidence could be found for a link with the main perpetrator.
Some victims couldn’t remember
The main defendant was found guilty of commercial theft, attempted theft, forgery and money laundering – but not for all alleged offences. One of the things that benefited the suspect was that the drunk victims usually could not remember and especially could not clearly identify the perpetrators.
When in doubt, acquitted
The two co-suspected taxi drivers also benefited from this and were acquitted when in doubt. Recognition, if any, was not sufficient “with a probability bordering on certainty for a conviction,” Klestil-Krausam said. In fact, the person accused of receiving stolen goods “made a very good impression.” “And which gate gives its real name?”
Planned actions
The jury admitted that the former orderly lifestyle and remorseful confession were mitigating factors. What made matters worse was the multiple crimes, the commercial nature of the crime, the time period of the crime over several years and the extent of the damage. Moreover, everything was planned from start to finish. Furthermore, the victims felt safe in the taxi and did not expect to be stolen or robbed. The four-year prison sentence would therefore have been imposed in full.
The main defendant asked for three days’ reflection time, but the public prosecutor provided no explanation. Therefore, the rulings are not yet legally binding.
Source: Krone
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