Now the verdict has been reached

Wheelchair user fooled Graz court for four years

The fraudulent wheelchair user was only reformed after being remanded in custody. (symbolic image)

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Fotowerk)

For an incredible four years, a 58-year-old woman from Graz fooled the courts. She feigned an inability to walk in order to collect compensation for pain and suffering and care benefits. She stayed away from most of the hearings with terse excuses. Only being in custody was able to purify her. 

Almost 20 trial days have been scheduled since 2020. But the 58-year-old attended just five (!) of them. She repeatedly fell ill at very short notice. Once a suspected coronavirus, then gastrointestinal problems, a shoulder operation and an alleged suicide attempt. She had a doctor's certificate for each incident. "Disrespectful behavior to the point of no return," scolded the presiding judge more than once during the lengthy trial, which cost everyone involved a lot of nerves.

Never dependent on a wheelchair
The drama began in 2015: a balcony door allegedly fell on the Styrian woman's foot in a rented apartment owned by the city of Graz. Since then, she has been dependent on a wheelchair. She demanded more than 5,000 euros from the city for conversion work, among other things. The public prosecutor's office identified attempted serious fraud. The woman had never been confined to a wheelchair and her mobility had never been restricted. However, the defendant had high debts. 

"They were orthopaedic shoes"
The video taken by a private investigator then showed something unbelievable: the accused woman wearing high heels while shopping. Nobody believed her assurances that they were orthopaedic shoes and that she had taken certain medication so that she could walk.

When she again failed to appear in court at the next hearing, the public prosecutor's office had had enough and applied for her to be remanded in custody. The 58-year-old spent a month behind bars because she was a flight risk before she was released on bail of 20,000 euros.

Suddenly confessed after pre-trial detention
However, the time in custody finally cured the fraudster and she admitted to the fraud. She had been on the lookout for easy money. The psychiatric expert Manfred Walzl diagnosed the defendant with Munchausen syndrome right from the start: "She hopes to gain attention through her imaginary illness. But in her case it's almost a pseudo-Münchhausen syndrome, because there's only financial interest behind it."

Now, after almost four years, the final sentence has been handed down: ten months' probation and a fine of 1440 euros. In addition, more than 25,000 euros were awarded to the private parties involved, including the city of Graz. The 58-year-old accepted the decision without protest.