84-year-old sentenced to €1,000 fine for shoplifting in Liezen
An 84-year-old pensioner appeared before Liezen district court after taking goods worth approximately €35 from two pharmacy stores without paying.
Pensioner denied intent – judge imposed sentence nonetheless
An 84-year-old woman recently appeared before Judge Hans-Joachim Maierhofer at Liezen district court after taking goods worth €30.44 and €4.80 respectively from two pharmacy stores in the Liezen shopping centre ELI in July without paying for them. According to the Kleine Zeitung, shoplifting of this magnitude is not uncommon at Liezen district court – an accused person over 80, however, is.
When asked by the judge whether she felt guilty, the smartly dressed woman answered "Yes" – and then rummaged in her bag to produce the stolen goods. In explanation, she described a mental crisis: she had been caring for a close relative for decades, most recently with the support of a 24-hour carer. On that very day, the carer had alerted her by telephone to a medical emergency while she was shopping.
After that, she had rushed through the two shops and driven straight home – so distressed that she had simply forgotten to pay. "It was only when I got home that I realised how stupid I was," the pensioner complained in court.
Since the accused confessed, no further evidence was requested. Judge Maierhofer found her guilty and imposed a fine of €1,000 – divided into 40 daily rates of €25 each, calculated on the basis of her pension level. She must also bear the costs of the proceedings.
"But it wasn't intentional, it was the worry," the woman tried once more after the verdict was announced to gain understanding – visibly upset about the substantial sum. In addition to the €1,000, there is a further €300 in processing fees that she had already paid directly to the two shops. However, Judge Maierhofer made no exception: the law is the law, after all.
Source: Kleine Zeitung