Keeping trophies too

Serial burglaries: “I like sitting in beautiful cars”

The two defendants in Vienna Regional Court - the younger one in the middle.(Bild: Sophie Pratschner, Krone KREATIV)

Maserati, Porsche and the like: the more expensive, the more fascinating for a 24-year-old from Vienna. He sat in unlocked luxury cars, took photos of himself there and also took "trophies" with him. At the end of January, he then got himself a kind of universal key with which he could break into the expensive vehicles - "I really wanted to get into the cars and take photos," he said in court.

"It just fascinated me so much - these new, beautiful cars," confesses a 24-year-old in Vienna's Landl district. But looking at the high-priced Maseratis, Porsches and the like from the outside was not enough for the young man. He wanted to take photos of the interior and sit inside the luxury cars.

Kind of universal key ordered
Some were unlocked, some he opened with a so-called Lishi tool. "It looks a bit like a key and it opens cars," explains his defense lawyer Leonhard Kregcjk. It can be easily ordered online. "It was a black case with a key for every brand inside," says the young Viennese.

I told him that I like sitting in nice cars. And he said that there was a tool with which you could easily open them.

Angeklagter 24-Jähriger im Wiener Landl

The 27-year-old co-defendant gave him the idea - "I told him that I like sitting in nice cars. And he said that there was a tool that would make it easy to open them." So they ordered the tool at the end of January and used it to break open luxury cars in inner-city garages or in parking garages at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. "I really wanted to get into the cars and take photos."

Taking sunglasses, umbrellas and teddy bears
"If I liked something, I basically took it as a trophy," admits the younger man. "What did they want to do with it?" Mrs. Rat wants to know - "Collect it." In addition to brand-name sunglasses, he also took expensive umbrellas, microfiber cloths and engine oil. He even stole a teddy bear worth 100 euros from a BMW X7.

"I wouldn't break into such a cheap car"
The total loss according to the indictment: around 54,000 euros. It is important to the 24-year-old in the Vienna provincial court that all the facts listed are correct. He goes through the burglaries point by point with the judge, adding stolen goods. However, he can still remember exactly why he didn't take some of the items: "I didn't like those sunglasses. I didn't take the winter jacket either. I don't need a jacket, I have enough. I don't need a laptop either, I certainly didn't take that with me."

Lawyer Leonhard Kregcjk represents the first accused car fanatic.(Bild: Sophie Pratschner)

One fact that he also vehemently denies - and which admittedly doesn't fit the picture - is the invasion of a Toyota. "I wouldn't break into a cheap car like that. It was completely dirty on the outside," is how he assesses the image of the vehicle that is held up to him.

What did the older man get out of the whole thing? In addition to his self-employed existence as an IT technician, he apparently earned some extra money by forging documents. The 24-year-old sent him photos of ID cards, registration certificates and passports that he found in the luxury cars. "I photographed and sent him the documents as a thank you," the Viennese man said in his extensive confession.

The verdicts against the two defendants are still pending.