Teenage trio in Hohenems convicted: Extortion and humiliation in court
Three youths from Vorarlberg stood trial for extortion and coercion before the Feldkirch Regional Court. The 16-year-old main defendant received a six-month suspended sentence.
Suspended sentence for extortion in Hohenems: teenage gang before court
Three youths surrounded a peer on 6 August in Hohenems, demanded 150 euros and threatened him with physical violence – including an order to place himself naked on a bottle. As krone.at reports, the proceedings before the Feldkirch Regional Court concluded on Tuesday with a conditional verdict for the main perpetrator and out-of-court settlements for his co-defendants.
"We are a gang!" – with these words the three boys allegedly encircled the victim and forced him to pay. Each was to receive 50 euros. Whoever did not pay faced threats of beatings.
Seven offences against the first defendant
The 16-year-old first defendant faced the most serious charges. Seven offences and several misdemeanours were brought against the unemployed youth. On multiple occasions he allegedly coerced the victim into making money transfers under threat of violence – including against the victim's family – and attempted to prevent him from filing a report. The possible sentencing range: up to five years imprisonment.
The 16-year-old pleaded guilty in court and showed remorse. Before the hearing, he had already paid the victim 1,000 euros in damages and handed over an apology letter. His defence pointed to the difficult family situation: In July his father received a diagnosis that he would soon die. "This completely threw my client off track," the defence explained.
"I regret what I did," the youth said in the courtroom. He was undergoing therapeutic treatment; his therapist had identified abandonment anxiety. When public prosecutor Richard Gschwenter asked about his plans, he replied: "I want to work and stop disappointing my parents."
Lenient verdict despite prior history
The verdict was comparatively lenient: six months suspended imprisonment and probation supervision. The fact that the first defendant, despite his age, had already had prior contact with police before the hearing and just last May had received a diversion at the same court in another matter did not result in a custodial sentence.
The two co-defendants – brothers aged 14 and 16 who had clean records until then – settled out of court. Both must each complete 60 hours of community service; failure to do so would result in new proceedings.
Victim accepts apologies
All three apologised to the victim in the courtroom, who accepted the apologies and waived any further claims. A lighter moment was provided by the older brother when he asked whether he could do his younger brother's community service hours – who is a student. Judge Kathrin Feurle did not allow this: "Each of them must complete their community service hours themselves."
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)