Man devastates Zurich luxury hotels during cocaine high – damage of 167,000 francs
A 34-year-old from Aargau destroyed the "Baur au Lac" and the "Storchen" hotel, causing 167,000 francs in damage. Zurich district court sentenced him to a conditional fine.
Devastation in two Zurich luxury hotels: court sentences 34-year-old to fine
Curtains torn down, paintings smashed, a television screen ripped off and a bathtub filled with furniture thrown about – this is what staff at the "Baur au Lac" found in room 310 after their guest departed on 20 October 2024. According to the NZZ, a then 32-year-old electrician's fitter from Aargau canton had booked the room in the 182-year-old luxury hotel and completely devastated it.
The property damage at the "Baur au Lac" was only the beginning. Just one day after the first devastation, the man checked into the "Storchen" hotel, another venerable five-star establishment in Zurich's old town, less than 500 metres away. There too he ripped ceiling lights from their fittings, hurled glass bottles at walls and televisions, and overturned a large decorative vase in the entrance area. He scratched the wallpaper in both rooms.
167,000 francs total damage – including 91,500 for lost profit
The total damage amounts to 167,000 francs. Pure property damage totals 75,500 francs. The largest portion of the sum is made up of 91,500 francs, which both hotels are claiming as compensation for lost profit – the rooms had to be renovated for weeks. Room rates were 900 and 980 francs per night respectively.
For comparison: a similar case in which a former Raiffeisen chief caused 3,700 francs in damage to a suite at Zurich's "Park Hyatt" was settled out of court. A 58-year-old Ukrainian who smashed dishes in another Zurich five-star hotel and left behind 12,000 francs in damage also made headlines. The dimension of the present case, however, is a different one.
Defendant cites persecution delusions and cocaine high
Before Zurich district court, the now 34-year-old presented himself little like the stereotype of an uninhibited party-goer. He appeared in trainers and a T-shirt, unkempt with a scraggly beard, accompanied by his parents. He still lives at home, works in an employment integration programme and has applied for disability insurance benefits.
His explanation for the acts: "Yes, I destroyed the hotel rooms. But I heard voices and felt persecuted by the television." When the judge asked what he had done the day after the first devastation, he simply answered: "Changed hotels."
The man states he had never heard voices before and attributes the delusions to the consequence of his cocaine consumption. A few weeks after the incidents, he voluntarily admitted himself to a psychiatric clinic. Since then he has been in treatment and is, according to his own statements, drug-free, which is monitored as part of his therapy.
Defence lawyer calls for acquittal on grounds of diminished responsibility
His defence counsel pleaded for acquittal: the man was not criminally responsible at the time of the acts. Experts diagnosed a schizophrenic condition, and the lawyer pointed to the voluntary admission as a credible sign. In broad Aargau dialect, he acknowledged his client had "done more than just a bit of nonsense" – but the exceptional psychological situation had to be regarded as a mitigating factor.
The absence of a forensic psychiatric report significantly hampered this argument. Because it is a matter of property damage, forensic assessment is not customary, the lawyer conceded. The present diagnosis of a schizophrenic condition therefore did not carry the same weight as a court-appointed expert opinion.
Court: diminished responsibility, but no acquittal
The court did not follow the acquittal request. The single judge noted that the defendant had been able to check into another hotel without arousing suspicion after the first night of devastation – evidence of at least partially retained capacity for self-control.
Nevertheless, the court basically believed the man and found him to have diminished responsibility. Had someone "committed these acts deliberately and with pleasure", the sentence would have been eighteen months' imprisonment, said the judge. Instead, Zurich district court sentenced the 34-year-old to a conditional fine of 4,500 francs plus a fine of 200 francs, both for property damage and for drug possession.
Civil proceedings with both hotels still pending
The criminal proceedings are thus concluded – the civil dispute, however, remains open. Both hotels and their insurers have filed claims. The man's lawyer criticised the trial for not setting out the damage claims with sufficient precision. His client is, however, aware that "something will stick with him".
The reduced responsibility acknowledged by the court could also benefit the 34-year-old in the civil proceedings. It remains unclear whether the man at least paid for his accommodation – and why he, an electrician's fitter from Aargau canton, spent more than a week in Zurich luxury hotels at prices of nearly 1,000 francs per night.
Source: NZZ