Trial in Vienna

Four women assaulted guests in an Airbnb apartment

Two of the four accused Airbnb robbers.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stock Adobe, Krone KREATIV)

Did these four young defendants confuse their criminal trial with a club night? The quartet of women appear in the Vienna provincial court, where they have to answer for robbing guests in an Airbnb. Their remorse for the crime is endless. 

"What are you doing at the moment?" was the opening question from Judge Alexandra Skrdla to one of the four young women on trial. "Well, nothing," was the snippy reply. "What does 'nothing' mean? What do you live on?" - "From the MA40." The 19-year-old stateless woman clearly has no ambition to find a job.  

The other defendants - a 17-year-old German, a 20-year-old Hungarian and a 17-year-old Serbian - sound similar. However, two of them at least state that they want to start an AMS course soon. The accusation for which the smart quartet must answer: Robbery, with a sentence of one to ten years in prison for the adult women, half that for the minors. They arrive at the trial as if they were going to a club: Heavily made up, wearing high heels, designer bags hanging around their shoulders.

I had a worse cell phone at the time and wanted a new one. It was the easiest way for me because I can't afford a new cell phone.

Eine Angeklagte über das Motiv

"We wanted to make them meier"
Chewing gum and using their charges as fans, they sit down in front of the judge. In between, they smile at each other as if the criminal proceedings were a real joke. On May 2, 2024, the four of them were sent by a certain Assad to an Airbnb in the 18th district, which he was apparently renting out. "He said he had annoying guests from Linz and asked if we could help them check in," says the first defendant. Even before they set off, the women decided "that we wanted to make the annoying women meier!"

"What does 'meier machen' mean to you?" the prosecutor wants to know. Answer: "Well, that we want to take their things. The valuables." Apparently Assad had told them that the guests had 3,500 euros with them. "The women said they had nothing," explained the second defendant, "so the rooms were searched. And we threatened them." The Serbian woman showed a fake pistol. She also forced a victim to hand over her smartphone: "I kicked her in the face with my foot," she confessed. 

Roland Friis defended one of the four robbers.

(Bild: AR)

"I had a worse cell phone at the time and wanted a new one. It was the easiest way for me because I can't afford a new cell phone," argued one of the perpetrators dryly. "I can't afford a Porsche either, so I can't take someone else's," Ms. Rat understandably gradually loses patience with the four women who came to their trial at large. In any case, the loot was manageable: in addition to the cell phone, there was a small amount of cash, jewelry, cigarettes, a 20-euro voucher and an ATM card from the victims, who are still teenagers themselves. The Airbnb guests who were robbed were two teenage couples from Linz. 

All four get off with conditional sentences
Only two of the four accused apologized. One 17-year-old, who was represented by Roland Friis, at least handed over a sum of money in the amount of 20 euros to the victim to make up for some of the damage. She had resold AirPods costing 200 euros, which she had stolen, for 80 euros. The four were sentenced to ten, twelve, 18 and 20 months' conditional imprisonment without final judgment and remain at large.