"Wanted to scare him"

Laughing robber goes to prison for four years

The police originally searched for the perpetrator using a mugshot.

(Bild: Polizei OÖ, Krone KREATIV)

He robbed a petrol station in Linz, broke several bones in the face of a disco visitor with punches, demolished a police car and possessed a prohibited weapon - a 28-year-old is now facing four years in prison for this. The defendant stated in court that he only wanted to scare the petrol station cashier.

Jeans, black T-shirt, angular face, friendly demeanor: This is how a 28-year-old Serbian took his seat in the dock at the Linz provincial court on Monday. The list of offenses that the public prosecutor's office accuses him of is long. First and foremost: aggravated robbery on June 22 in Linz.

One night, two versions
According to the accusation, the 28-year-old robbed a petrol station that night, armed with a ten to 15 centimeter long knife. "Give me everything you have in the till, I have a knife," the man shouted at the cashier. The cashier had the presence of mind to grab Stanley knives and put the robber to flight. This is the version of the public prosecutor.

The 28-year-old, on the other hand, claimed in court: "I wanted to scare the petrol station employee that night because he had insulted me two weeks earlier. I was drunk and on drugs, went in and laughed. In the heat of the moment, I demanded money." A surveillance camera in the petrol station actually shows the 28-year-old laughing on the night of the crime. Two days later, the Serbian turned himself in to the police: he had seen his mugshot and the internet and realized the seriousness of the situation.

I was drunk and on drugs, I went in and laughed. In the heat of the moment, I demanded money.

Der 28-Jährige vor Gericht

From custody to prison
However, the 28-year-old became entangled in contradictions several times in his statements. This was probably one of the reasons why he was ultimately found guilty as charged. The sentence of four years' unconditional imprisonment is already legally binding.

The other charges - to which the 28-year-old also confessed - were undisputed anyway: in February, he knocked out a disco visitor in Linz with two punches, smashed the windows of a bar and damaged a police car by throwing a cell phone. He also illegally possessed a knuckleduster.