Prison Sentences for Serial Burglars in Vienna

Two men aged 40 and 43 each received an unconditional sentence of three years, while a 32-year-old was sentenced to three and a half years. The ex-wife of the 43-year-old received a suspended sentence of eight months, as she was not present at the crimes but was aware of them. The 19 burglaries charged were discussed and planned in the shared apartment. The verdicts are not yet legally binding.

Trial Against Serial Burglars: "The Evidence is Overwhelming"

The loot was always brought to the neat single-family house of the now formally divorced couple, registered in a locality in the Mödling district, after the deed was done. On January 22, 2025, after months of surveillance, a house search was conducted there, during which the front door was blown open by special police forces. The 43-year-old and his partner were arrested, and parts of the loot were secured. Subsequently, the handcuffs also clicked for the accomplices.

"The soup is not thin. The evidence is overwhelming," said prosecutor Hanna Fian at the beginning of the trial. The police had apparently been on the trail of the serial burglars for some time: At the beginning of November of the previous year, a tracking device was attached to the car of the 43-year-old, who had logistically led the gang. The indictment included 18 burglaries completed from that point in single-family homes and apartments in Vienna, Lower Austria, and Upper Austria, and one incident where the perpetrators did not gain access to the interior of the residence.

Four Burglaries on Christmas Eve

Typically, the intruders broke into patio doors or entered the buildings through ground-level windows. They displayed an enormous criminal energy. They did not even hesitate to commit four offenses on December 24, even though families usually spend Christmas Eve at home. The defendants apparently would have accepted an encounter with the victims.

The prosecutor made it clear that the incriminated facts were only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Only acts committed after the installation of the tracking device were charged, although there is additional evidence incriminating the defendants, such as DNA traces or footprints. The list of criminal acts that the men allegedly committed is "naturally much longer," said the prosecutor.

Defendants Confessed and Silent

The defendants, prominently represented by defense attorneys Philipp Wolm, Alexander and Peter Philipp, and Mirsad Musliu, made comprehensive confessions. "Everything stated in the indictment is true," said the lawyers. There were no detailed interrogations of the accused, as they exercised their right to remain silent.

In sentencing, the confessions were considered a significant mitigating factor. This circumstance "significantly contributed to the shortening of the proceedings," the presiding judge admitted in the reasoning of the verdict to the defendants. While the defense accepted the imposed sentences, the prosecutor initially made no statement. The court had a sentencing range of up to ten years available.

(APA/Red)

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