Threats, beatings, robbery: Just one month after his 14th birthday – and the beginning of his criminal responsibility – a boy from Vienna is said to have committed a series of eight robberies. He had to answer for this on Monday before the Vienna Criminal Court. He pleaded partially guilty. The hearing was adjourned.
With accomplices, some of whom are still unknown, he is said to have robbed mainly young people from September to November 2021. One victim even suffered a smashed fracture of the maxillary sinus bone through beatings.
The group around the boy, some of whom were tall, beefy 15 to 16 year olds, is said to have been on the lookout for victims on public transport. They were surrounded, insulted and threatened, sometimes even beaten. In two cases, members of the group are said to have drawn knives. The young people are said to be primarily after Airpods – wireless headphones –, smartphones and money.
Victim suffered comminuted fracture
At the age of 13 he became part of this clique, the boy stated in court. He wanted to show that he belonged and not be seen as a coward. He wanted to be like the other members of the clique: “I wanted to be important in the group.”
The 14-year-old, who faces up to 7.5 years in prison if found guilty, claimed in court that a knife was never involved and that he was only a mere accessory to the crime. But he admitted: “The victim was afraid because there were three of us.”
The most serious robbery happened on November 13th. The group had asked a man for two euros. When he opened his wallet, the 14-year-old saw that there was more in it and asked the victim to return all the money. However, this pushed the 14-year-old away and said: “Piss off!” “I got aggressive there, but I didn’t want to hurt him,” the accused assured the judge. The man who suffered the fracture joined the process with compensation for pain and suffering in the amount of 5000 euros.
The 14-year-old has been in custody since his arrest, and the proceedings against his accomplices are pending. Because witnesses are still to be heard, yesterday’s hearing was adjourned to March 14.
Source: Nachrichten
