Convicted by video

Boy destroys million-year-old rough gemstone

In a drunken rage, a 23-year-old from the Mühlviertel (Upper Austria) knocked over and smashed a 142-kilogram amethyst in front of a store. Police officer recognized main perpetrator on a surveillance video. The man had already been convicted, but the victim made him a generous offer.

This outrage caused a huge outcry. Two aggressive strangers had marched through the shopping arcade of the Muldenstraße shopping center in Linz at night on 7 January.

Video of the crime
Video footage shows how one of the men suddenly grabs a 142-kilogram amethyst gland in front of the "Einstein" mineral shop and knocks it over. It fell to the ground and broke into several pieces. "What had been formed over 250 million years was arbitrarily shattered in a single blow within seconds," said the mineral and fossil dealer Maximilian Pfleger the following day, shocked and close to tears. He had purchased the dark purple raw gemstone in Brazil and placed it in front of his store as an eye-catcher.

Perpetrator incriminated 
At the time, Pfleger had high hopes that the vandal could be tracked down. In fact, a police officer recognized the main perpetrator from the photos. It was a 23-year-old from Reichenau im Mühlkreis. The young man, who has a criminal record, also confessed to the crime and was charged with serious damage to property by the Linz public prosecutor's office. He was also charged with theft and breaking into a Caritas home.

Sentence already passed
The young man apologized to Pfleger personally. "He said that he was drunk and had been annoyed with his friend that evening because he wanted to buy drugs," says the 63-year-old. According to the expert opinion, the amethyst was worth 19,500 euros. However, Pfleger made the man from Mühlviertel a generous offer: "I offered him that I would try to sell the fragments and he would only have to compensate me for 11,500 euros." The 23-year-old agreed. He was sentenced to a conditional prison sentence and an unconditional fine at Linz Regional Court. He accepted the sentence.