State council assaulted

Trial today after home invasion of former provincial councillor

The sentences for the three perpetrators were handed down behind these walls

(Bild: ©Constantin Handl)

The brutal act shocked the whole country last year: former provincial councillor and entrepreneur Josef Fill and his family were brutally attacked, tied up and injured by three perpetrators in their home in Gurten (Upper Austria). On Thursday, three men were sentenced to eleven, ten and four years in prison, not legally binding.

The shock still runs deep: "Noises in the night still frighten us. It wasn't like that before," Josef Fill told "Krone" after the robbery on July 17th last year was solved.

Not the only burglary
The main suspects are a North Macedonian (47) and a German-Kazakh (43), both of whom will have to answer for the crime of aggravated robbery. The 43-year-old is also accused of aggravated theft by burglary on April 1, 2023 in Leoben, where he and an as yet unknown accomplice are said to have stolen valuables worth over 20,000 euros.

One suspected drug dealer and two serious criminals
The North Macedonian has nine relevant previous convictions and is also under investigation in Germany for aggravated robbery. And his alleged German-Kazakh accomplice also has eleven previous convictions in his home country. The third suspect, a man from the Innviertel region (30), who is due to stand trial in October for large-scale drug trafficking, is said to have been the designated perpetrator as a tipster, he is said to have virtually commissioned the home invasion.

Masked window broken open
On the day of the crime, the first defendant (47) entered Austria from Germany with two unknown accomplices, met up with the 47-year-old second defendant and drove to the victims' house. Masked with gloves and balaclavas, the two main suspects and one of the accomplices are said to have entered the house through a broken window. Meanwhile, the other unknown man waited in the getaway car as the driver.

Family tied up with cable ties
In the house, the three perpetrators are said to have first encountered the couple's daughter and overpowered her. They tied her up with cable ties, sprayed her with an unknown liquid and placed her in a walk-in cupboard. The defendants then allegedly overpowered the elderly couple, tied them up with cable ties and sprayed them with liquid, whereby the former provincial councillor fought back and suffered a fracture of the 5th metacarpal.

Loot worth over 90,000 euros 
The accused had also thrown items of clothing over the heads of all the victims. They are said to have demanded that Josef Fill hand over 'black money' - "otherwise they would do something to the women", according to the indictment. The robbers then searched all the rooms and took various valuables with a total value of 91,572 euros before finally fleeing.

In court, the second and third defendants repeatedly became entangled in contradictions, with the statements of the 30-year-old third defendant in particular causing frowns and shaking heads. Only the first defendant, a German-Kazakh (43), confessed to all points and incriminated the second defendant, a North Macedonian (47), with his statements, who also fully confirmed his statements. 

Nobody wanted to have had an idea
According to the testimony, the 47-year-old hired the 43-year-old to help and instructed him. The 47-year-old and the 28-year-old blamed each other for having given the impetus to rob the Fill family. 

The verdict was finally reached earlier than expected on Thursday afternoon: the North Macedonian (47) must spend eleven years behind Swedish bars, the German-Kazakh (43) must spend ten years in prison. The judge described them as "incorrigible serious criminals". The 30-year-old man from Innviertel was also unable to minimize his role as a designated offender: his statements were completely unbelievable, which is why he must also spend four years behind bars. All sentences are not yet final.