Youth gang in Vienna accused of breaking into 68 vehicles
Five juveniles aged 14 to 16 are appearing in court in Vienna. They face charges of numerous break-ins to cars and shops.
Youth gang in Vienna accused of breaking into 68 vehicles
Five juveniles aged 14 to 16 must answer charges at the Vienna Regional Court. They face 101 criminal offences in a short period of time, including the breaking into 68 motor vehicles and burglaries of shops. This is reported by Kronen Zeitung.
The 14-year-old second defendant came particularly under the judge's scrutiny. Just weeks before, he had been sentenced to a four-month suspended sentence for theft offences, having previously been held in pre-trial detention. After his release, it took only three days before he came to police attention again. "You were free for three days, and then something happened again," the judge said according to the report.
The group, in varying compositions, is said to have smashed windows and searched vehicles and shops. Sometimes they only attempted to do so. At the police station, the 14-year-old stated that they had targeted cars, smashed the windows and ransacked the interiors. In court, however, he showed disinterest and dismissed every individual question with "I don't know".
Because witnesses are absent, proceedings against the two alleged main perpetrators have been postponed. Three other defendants admitted to the offences attributed to them. Two each received three months' imprisonment suspended, whilst another juvenile received a guilty verdict without a specified sentence. The decisions are not yet final.
A defence lawyer characterised the incidents as foolish pranks that his client had committed together with his co-accused. According to the report, the material damage from the numerous break-ins remained manageable.
Source: Kronen Zeitung