Trial in Feldkirch

Defendant had an expensive hobby: graffiti

The accused cited frustration as his motive.(Bild: Chantall Dorn, Krone KREATIV)

A man from Lower Austria "embellished" numerous facades with illegal spray painting. He finally got his payday on Tuesday in the trial at Feldkirch Regional Court. 

Dreams in the head and nothing in the head. That's how you could summarize the night and fog actions of the 38-year-old defendant. Because the illegal spray attacks are now costing the hobby artist dearly.

From the beginning of January to the end of July last year, the previously blameless man sprayed numerous walls and facades in the market town of Wolfurt, causing damage of around 26,500 euros. As a result, he was sentenced by the Feldkirch Regional Court to a partial fine of 2160 euros for serious damage to property.

He must also make good the damage to property within two weeks. An undertaking that the man, who is heavily in debt at 40,000 euros, could not easily get out of. After a long period of unemployment, he only got a job again yesterday. However, Judge Alexander Wehinger gives the father of three credit for the fact that the 38-year-old is not shirking his responsibility and has agreed to pay for the damage caused.

Commissioner Chance was at work
"I know that what I did was shit. I caused the damage, so I'm going to make up for it." For a long time, there were no clues as to who was responsible for the spray-painted walls and facades. Six months after the first "painting", it was a coincidence that finally blew the Unterländer's cover. The 38-year-old was caught by a police patrol at the very moment he was once again tampering with a façade in Wolfurt.

Frustration as a motive
Thanks to DNA matching and recordings from two surveillance cameras, the other acts could also be attributed to the hobby sprayer. The Unterländer's impending divorce and child abduction are said to have been the trigger for his vandalism of other people's property. According to the man, he wanted to get rid of his frustration.