80 euros loot

Robber attacks mom with a blank-firing pistol

Salzburg courthouse, seat of the regional court

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

At the end of June, the 24-year-old marched into the Salzburg restaurant where his mother worked. With a blank-firing pistol in his hand, he threatened her, grabbed 80 euros from the till and shot into the ceiling. The court sentenced him to three and a half years in prison. "That's extremely lenient," said the judge herself.

He had only been out for four months after serving almost four years for a robbery and was even released on parole. None of this has helped: on Wednesday, the criminal with four previous convictions is back in the regional court. And once again he is accused of aggravated robbery.

According to the indictment, on June 21 he marched into a bar in Salzburg's Bahnhofsviertel district, where his mother worked, with a blank-firing pistol. "He pushed his mother and took 80 euros from the till," the public prosecutor explained. He then fired a shot at the ceiling and threatened another customer with the words: "I'll shoot you in the head". To "intensify the threat", according to the prosecutor.

Bad words about the mother
The 24-year-old made a confession. He was "angry" and had made a mistake, he said. But he also spoke disparagingly about his mother. Which was enough for the chairwoman: "Mom always supported them, she gave them a place to live." She even paid the 80-euro damages, as was reported. The court also showed a video of the crime. "It's like a bad movie, I don't want to see that," said the judge. The defendant replied smugly: "Well, people can sleep well."

Despite the rapid relapse, the panel of lay judges was merciful: three and a half years in prison. Up to 20 years would have been possible due to the criminal history. Even the presiding judge concluded that this was "extremely lenient".