Aargau man wrecks two Zurich luxury hotels in cocaine intoxication – 167,000 francs in damages
A 34-year-old man from Aargau caused massive damage to the Baur au Lac and Hotel Storchen in October 2024. Zurich District Court convicted him of reduced culpability and imposed a conditional fine.
Cocaine intoxication in Zurich luxury hotels: 167,000 francs in damages
A 34-year-old man from Aargau wrecked two renowned Zurich hotels within two days in October 2024, causing total damage of 167,000 francs. This is reported by 20 Minuten citing the NZZ and news agency Keystone-SDA.
At the Baur au Lac, the man tore down curtains, destroyed furniture, lamps and a television, and threw objects into the bathtub. The following day, he caused severe damage again in a room at Hotel Storchen: he hurled bottles at walls and televisions, ripped lighting fixtures from their moorings and damaged the wallpaper.
The direct material damage amounts to 75,500 francs. The remaining 91,500 francs are claimed by the two hotels as compensation for lost revenue during the necessary renovations. The rooms cost 900 and 980 francs per night respectively. Whether the accused had ever paid for his accommodation remained unclear during the trial.
Before Zurich District Court, the man explained that he had acted in a cocaine-induced state, heard voices and felt pursued by the television. Following the incidents, he admitted himself to a psychiatric clinic, where a schizophrenic condition was diagnosed. However, a forensic assessment was not presented to the court. His defence counsel pleaded for acquittal on grounds of full incapacity to be held responsible.
The court did not follow this motion. Since the accused had been able to check into another hotel without incident after the first incident, he was apparently not completely incapable of being held responsible, the court reasoned. However, due to the established reduced culpability, the sentence was more lenient.
The man was sentenced to a conditional fine of 150 daily rates of 30 francs – a total of 4,500 francs – with a probationary period of two years. A fine of 200 francs is added for possession and consumption of cocaine. The verdict is not yet final. The civil claims by the hotels and insurers will presumably be decided in separate proceedings.
Source: 20 Minuten