Robber Forced Woman to Undress - Convicted

A gas station robber who forced an employee to undress during the robbery was sentenced on Wednesday at the Eisenstadt Regional Court. The young Afghan fully confessed and received a non-final sentence of three years of unconditional imprisonment. His friend, who allegedly helped him scout in two cases, was also found guilty of being an accomplice.

Three Gas Stations Robbed

The 21-year-old robbed a total of three gas stations in Lower Austria in the spring of 2025, stealing around 4,000 euros in cash. He cited his gambling addiction as the motive. He was in debt to friends and also owed rent for his apartment to the municipality. In two of the three robberies, his 16-year-old acquaintance helped him by scouting the gas station shops. This acquaintance also comes from Afghanistan and lived in a refugee home in Northern Burgenland, where the older one also frequented and obtained the knives for his robberies.

After a first robbery in March by bicycle, which the older one committed alone, the two set out together twice in April - this time by car. They drove around the area, and the 21-year-old sent the teenager into the gas stations "to see if a man or a woman is inside, because she is more easily scared of a knife," as the defendant stated.

Knife Point Held Against Stomach

When they had scouted a suitable target for the third time, the 21-year-old marched in and demanded money from the cash register from the employee with a long kitchen knife. However, the loot was too little for him, and since she also did not have a key to the office, he demanded that she show him her breasts. To emphasize his demand, he held the knife point against the employee's stomach and threatened to stab her. When he asked her to take off her pants as well, the woman lied that she was pregnant. The robber let her go and apologized. In addition to aggravated robbery, he was also charged with severe coercion. Both during the scouting and the robbery, the two were recognizable on video footage from the gas stations.

The 21-year-old, who said he had been the father of a small daughter for two weeks, was sentenced to three years of unconditional imprisonment. Mitigating factors in the sentence were his comprehensive confession, his contribution to finding the truth, and his previous good conduct, while the concurrence of several crimes was an aggravating factor. The 16-year-old boy, who initially denied the allegations but then confessed, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for being an accomplice, with twelve months conditionally suspended for a three-year probation period. The sentences are not yet legally binding.

(APA/Red)

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