Four and a Half Years in Prison After Stone Throw at Vienna Tram
Instead of celebrating with his colleagues, the IT employee ended up in a hospital, where the bleeding wound was treated and the bruise was attended to. "I was very lucky," the man reported on Thursday at the regional court, "the police said such incidents usually end fatally."
The man who threw the stone against the tram window and also committed three partially armed robberies was sentenced by a jury to four and a half years of unconditional imprisonment. Regarding the stone-throwing, the 31-year-old assured: "I didn't want to hurt anyone." About his motive, he remarked: "I wanted to let it out, to be honest." He wasn't doing well at the time: "I completely lost it."
Stone Against Carriage of Line 5 in Vienna
Apparently to let off steam, he first smashed several window panes of a retirement home located in Leopoldstadt, causing damage of over 20,000 euros. Then he broke off the side mirrors of two parked cars before hurling a stone with full force towards a tram of line 5.
The stone broke through the window and hit the 28-year-old, who was standing in the tram with headphones in his ears. "I felt a blow to the back of my head," the affected person described. When he looked back and saw the shattered window and the sharp stone lying on the floor, "I realized what had happened."
Defendant in Vienna: "I Lost My Temper"
"I had my debts in the back of my mind," the defendant had previously stated. The man, who according to his own statements is addicted to gambling and cannabis ("I smoked two to three grams a day"), was two months behind on rent and had a creditor who had lent him money and was putting pressure on him. The property damage was a way for the 31-year-old to relieve this pressure: "The guy had already called me. I blew a fuse. I acted wrongly."
After the turn of the year, "the pressure became even greater": "I was already afraid that I would lose the apartment. I didn't know how to help myself anymore. I only saw the way out of getting money as quickly as possible." That's why he "got a knife, for deterrence, mind you."
Three Robberies from February 17
With that and masked, the 31-year-old marched into a drugstore on February 17 and threatened an employee: "Give me the money quickly!" He made off with 4,000 euros. On the night of February 28, he entered a gas station and pretended to be armed with a pistol. "Open the cash register, or I'll shoot you!" he said to an employee. This robbery brought him 350 euros. A third robbery attempt failed a few hours later because an employee threatened in a store loudly called for help.
With a penalty threat of one to 15 years, a sentence in the lower third of the penalty range is "just about appropriate," the jury found at the end. The previously unconvicted accepted the verdict as did the prosecutor. When asked how he envisioned his future, the 31-year-old replied: "Inpatient stay, then go to work, get my life in order."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.