Young people charged

“They have no respect for other people’s property”

Salzburg courthouse, seat of the regional court(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

At the trial of five young criminals with previous convictions in Salzburg on Friday, the public prosecutor had clear words: according to the indictment, the quintet committed more than 100 crimes. Most of them looted unlocked cars, some of them even crashed them.

At the start of the trial on Friday, the prosecutor asked for understanding: "If I present all the crimes, we'll be here until noon." This statement alone illustrates the extent of the criminal energy: she accuses the five accused young people aged between 16 and 19 of more than 100 crimes in the 64-page indictment. All five have previous convictions, and three are still in custody. "The defendants decided to loot cars. They kept an eye out for open cars and took everything they saw. If they discovered the keys, they drove the vehicles around until they were totaled," the prosecutor explained.

Chases through pedestrian zones
In addition to the serial burglaries between November 2023 and June 2024, there were also allegations of coercion and bodily harm. Two cases involved chases through the city center. Most of the young people confessed. Three of the five received partial prison sentences, one received an unconditional prison sentence. The last of the group, the fifth, is due to be sentenced next week. All convictions to date are not final.