Like the EAV song

Bank robber stood patiently in line

The retail salesman in Lehre confessed to all the charges and asked for drug treatment.

(Bild: C. Handl, Krone KREATIV)

An unusual bank robbery was tried on Friday at Linz Provincial Court. A 20-year-old from Linz threatened a bank employee with a knife and stole 5000 euros - but only when it was his turn. He fully confessed in court and was sentenced to a partial prison term.

The apprentice is 20 years young and will be brought before the Linz Regional Court on Friday. He had an income, a stable environment and good prospects. Nevertheless, on November 20 of the previous year, he set out with a knife in his pocket and an FFP2 mask on his face to rob the Volksbank in Linz's Zeppelinstraße. 

Parallels to Austropop classics
The 20-year-old from Linz waited patiently in front of the wrong counter before joining the queue to withdraw the money - almost like in the Austropop classic by EAV. Unlike in the song, however, the apprentice wanted to withdraw money first and, unlike the "evil teller", could not be persuaded to make a deposit in the end. When the bank employee asked for his ATM card, he was instead shown the 20 to 30 centimeter long kitchen knife, sharpened on both sides. 

Motive remained unclear
Just three days later, the handcuffs clicked for the young man with the almost childlike face. In court, he remorsefully confessed everything and asked for probation and drug treatment. It remained unclear whether his addiction and the resulting debts were the motive for the robbery.

It was also not clear where the loot had gone: the accused claimed that he had not taken the 50-euro banderole worth 5,000 euros home with him for fear of a hidden tracking device. Instead, he claimed to have hidden it in a bush, from where the money had apparently disappeared without a trace. The story was challenged several times, but this did not affect the verdict.

Prison sentence
The three lay judges and the presiding judge agreed after only around 15 minutes: 24 months in prison, eight of which were unconditional, minus the two that the 20-year-old had already served. In addition, he must pay back the loot, for which he was granted an installment payment.