3.38 euro loss

Shoplifter on trial for soda and chocolate bar

The accused has decided against a criminal career.(Bild: Chantall Dorn)

He had no money, but was hungry and thirsty. A young Syrian man was caught stealing from a supermarket in Dornbirn a year ago. On Wednesday, the matter came to a head in court in Feldkirch.

His lawyer spoke of the precarious situation her client found himself in a year ago. "He was disoriented, had no job and his family wasn't there." All of this was very difficult for the boy at the time, the lawyer tries to speak up for the Syrian (15). He has been charged with robbery. It's about a Coke and a muesli bar with a total value of 3.38 euros! He had put them in his jacket at Sutterlüty City Park in Dornbirn and left the store without paying.

When the house detective grabbed him by the sleeve outside the store and confronted him, the thief broke free and fled. A year later, the asylum seeker seems to have turned the corner. "I made up for the damage and also apologized to the people at Sutterlüty. I've also completed my secondary school certificate and will be starting an apprenticeship as a car mechanic in January," the 15-year-old proudly reports. The reason for his change of heart is the fact that his family has now been allowed to move to Vorarlberg and he is therefore no longer alone. As for the theft itself, the boy, who was staying in the emergency shelter at the time, says: "I was hungry and thirsty, but had no money. We had to leave the shelter in the morning and were only allowed back there in the evening."

Of course, there was breakfast and supper. But by early afternoon, he was so hungry and thirsty that he saw no other way out.

After a brief deliberation by the senate, the presiding judge Sabrina Tagwercher found the young man guilty, but did not impose a sentence. "You have appropriated a thing of little value out of necessity and imprudence," said Ms. Rat, explaining the senate's decision and wishing the boy all the best for the path he has now chosen.