Two and a Half Years in Prison for Caregiver After Home Invasion in Klagenfurt

Course of the Crime and Loot

In the man's bedroom, there was a direct confrontation. "Einer hielt ihm den Mund zu, während die anderen beiden Männer den Tresor ins Freie trugen", Holub described the sequence. The contents of the safe: 40,000 euros in cash, a weapon, as well as gold jewelry and coins. According to the indictment, the victim spoke of total damage of 90,000 to 100,000 euros.

The caregiver herself described her personal situation in court. She had met her later common-law partner when she was 18 years old and left her foster family: "Ich war auf der Straße." The fact that the man had a criminal record had indeed deterred her: "Aber ich konnte sonst nirgendwo hin." At first she had rejected the idea of the robbery, said the woman, who nonetheless tried to protect her common-law partner: "Ich glaube, es war nicht seine Idee."

Biography and Motive

At the time of the crime, the woman was pregnant. The defense pointed to the economic situation in Romania: "Sie hat zwar natürlich ein Einkommen bezogen, in Rumänien gibt es aber nicht dieselben Unterstützungen wie in Österreich. Sie hätte nichts bekommen, und auch der Kindsvater hat noch nie gearbeitet, weshalb sie sich von ihm nichts erwarten konnte." This state of need had therefore led her to let herself be carried away into the crime.

Judge Sabine Götz was unimpressed by this argument. "Man hat Ihnen Tür und Tor geöffnet, das Ehepaar hat Sie auch gut behandelt", she said in the direction of the defendant. The amount of damage was also "durchaus beachtlich". In view of the crime and from the perspective of general deterrence, Götz saw "überhaupt keine Möglichkeit, eine bedingte Strafe zu verhängen".

Reasoning of the Judge

The judge spoke to the young woman's conscience, as the latter continued to try to exonerate her common-law partner: "Er weiß, dass Sie schwanger ist und schickt Sie ins Ausland zum Stehlen. Es gibt überhaupt keinen Grund, ihn in Schutz zu nehmen." Götz also appealed to personal responsibility with clear words: "Das ist kein Mann der Welt wert."

At the same time, Götz explained that the confession had been mitigating for the woman, that she had "durchaus auch zur Wahrheitsfindung beigetragen" and was dependent on the main perpetrator. Nevertheless, she spoke of an "unglaublicher Vertrauensbruch" and added: "Man kann nur von Glück reden, dass es nicht noch weiter eskaliert ist."

The woman was also defended with reference to her personal dependency and the care of her now seven-month-old son, who is placed with a foster family in Romania. Criminal proceedings are pending in Romania against the woman's common-law partner, who is known by name.

The verdict at the Klagenfurt Regional Court ultimately amounted to two and a half years of unconditional imprisonment. The court essentially followed the sentencing request of the prosecution. Whether the conviction becomes final was initially unclear.