Bank robbery in Ferlach: Carinthian charged over €225,000 theft
The Klagenfurt Public Prosecutor's Office has charged a 48-year-old man from Carinthia with aggravated robbery. The man denies the offence despite DNA evidence and fingerprints.
Charged after bank robbery: 48-year-old fled on old bicycle
A 48-year-old man from Carinthia will soon have to answer in court: the Klagenfurt Public Prosecutor's Office has charged him with aggravated robbery, according to the Kleine Zeitung. In March of this year, the man robbed the Volksbank in Ferlach – disguised with sunglasses, a wig and a full-face silicone mask. He stole €225,000 in the process and fled on an old bicycle.
Markus Kitz, spokesman for the Klagenfurt Public Prosecutor's Office, confirmed the completed charges: "The allegation is the crime of aggravated robbery. Aggravated robbery because the defendant used a revolver – that is, a weapon." The 48-year-old faces up to 15 years in prison.
Lost note leads investigators to suspect
The authorities searched intensely for the perpetrator for around a month. The decisive lead came from a threatening note that the robber had presented at the counter during the robbery – and subsequently lost. It stated, amongst other things: "Pack the money! Only from the safe! Keep a low profile! If you press the alarm, I'll shoot immediately!"
"The demand note that he presented at the counter bears both a fingerprint and the DNA of the defendant," explains Kitz. These traces eventually led investigators to the 48-year-old man from Carinthia.
Defendant has denied offence for over six months
Since his arrest, the man has persistently denied the offence – for more than six months. He explains the DNA trace as coincidence: he had disposed of a sheet of paper at a park bench in Ferlach; this same sheet is supposedly what the actual robber used. Since April, the 48-year-old has been held in investigative custody.
His defence lawyer Philipp Tschernitz disputes any motive for the offence: "My client has no debts, nor are there any enforcement proceedings against him. He receives allowances from his family and has earned some money on the side in the entertainment industry." At the time of the alleged offence, the man was said to be unemployed.
A trial date has not yet been set. The defendant is presumed innocent.
Source: Kleine Zeitung