"Tasted it yourself"

Supermarket thief with a penchant for Jägermeister

The accused made himself comfortable in the supermarket with a few snacks.

(Bild: Dorn Chantall/Krone KREATIV)

The accused had fed himself in several grocery stores in Vorarlberg and topped himself up with high-proof spirits from the shelves. At Feldkirch Regional Court on Tuesday, the 31-year-old was presented with the bill for this in the form of a prison sentence.

"He said that if I didn't leave, he would hit me," said the checkout employee, who was called as a witness, describing an incident in the Sutterlüty store at Dornbirn train station. A colleague called him for help and said that a man was sitting on the floor at the back of the store, eating potato chips and drinking vodka.

"When I looked and told him that he had to pay for the goods first, he picked up the bottle, made a swinging motion and threatened me." But this incident did not stop there. The accused also visited grocery stores in Götzis, Hard and Egg several times and bought food there. His focus was on high-proof spirits. These included apricot schnapps, rum, gin and, above all, Jägermeister. The accused always follows the same pattern. Open the bottle, take a few sips, close the cap and put the bottle back on the shelf.

Obscene gestures
When the thief from Yemen was arrested in July with a blood alcohol level of almost 1.7, he immediately committed the next offense by sexually harassing a policewoman during questioning. "When I was alone in the room with him, he first licked his lips, then went down his pants and made lewd movements," the young officer recalls.

In prison, he again attracted unpleasant attention. He stole another inmate's laundry bag containing a few "cooler clothes". During the trial, the accused admitted to the shoplifting, but denied having a drinking problem. He only committed the crimes because he was hungry and thirsty, but had no money. "But when you're thirsty, you don't drink Jägermeister. That's no good", clarified Judge Marco Mazzia. To which the defendant adds: "I drink water outside."

Back in court again
It is certain that the accused will remain behind Swedish bars for the time being. The council imposed a six-month prison sentence for theft, coercion and sexual harassment. This is already legally binding. On Wednesday, the newly convicted man will have to stand trial again for a different matter.