Robbery and extortion

Teenagers spend first day of school in court

Regional Court for Criminal Matters in Vienna

(Bild: APA/Georg Hochmuth)

Four pupils sit in the dock instead of in the classroom at the Vienna provincial court. In addition to a robbery, they are accused of leaving a boy on the roof of a house. He jumped out of desperation. The lawyer of the first accused 14-year-old: "They wanted to play a prank."

While their classmates dutifully went back to school, four teenagers aged between 14 and 16 had to sit before Judge Daniela Zwangsleitner in Vienna's Landl district instead. Among other things, they are said to have robbed a teenager of his Lacoste cap and then tried to steal his jacket.

"Rip-off victims" selected
They had already chosen the boy as a "rip-off victim" the day before. "Please explain to the spectators what that is?" Ms. Rat asked the first defendant. "That's someone who gives his things away easily and doesn't need much talking," is the answer. This elicits a grin from one of the defendants. "You're making it out as if it was all just a joke. The victim certainly didn't find it that funny," reprimands Judge Zwangsleitner. 

Friend left on the roof
Klaus Ainedter's 14-year-old client is also accused of luring a mutual friend onto the roof of an abandoned building with the fourth defendant. "He still owed us money for firecrackers. We decided to play a trick on him." So they threw over the ladder to climb down, left the boy alone on the roof and took the train home.

Lawyer Klaus Ainedter defends the 14-year-old first defendant.

(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

"They wanted to play a prank. They intended to drive back from the beginning. They completely underestimated the victim's behavior," explains Ainedter. The desperate boy jumped off the roof of the house without further ado, breaking several bones in the process. "We simply weren't aware of the consequences", comments the first defendant. The case is adjourned.