Trial in Graz

Fans sabotaged camera at Graz city derby

To avoid being filmed at the Graz soccer derby last year, three fans simply cut the cables in the Merkur Arena in Graz. Two perpetrators were caught and are now on trial.

"Yes, I cut the cable and he made sure I didn't fly off", the young defendant (21) breaks his silence in front of criminal court judge Hanspeter Draxler. "Several people wanted the cameras to be cut. I wanted to prove myself," admits the Styrian. Together with the second defendant, a 31-year-old student, he cut the cable of at least one surveillance camera during the Graz city derby in October of the previous year with the help of a third stranger and even caused a short circuit in the Merkur Arena. "That was a group dynamic process, and I'm sorry about it. I didn't think that so much would happen right away," admits the second defendant. The resulting damage according to the Graz public prosecutor's office: around 8600 euros!

The defense attorneys, Raimund Hofmann and Armin Posawetz, strongly dispute the amount of damage. One invoice does not match the time of the crime, and the hourly rates of the technicians from two other companies vary by around 180 euros. One electrical company charged around 250 euros per hour, the other only around 75 euros, meaning that the actual amount of damage was less than 5,000 euros - which, the two lawyers argue, means that it could only be a case of simple and not serious damage to property.

The lawyers Raimund Hofmann and Armin Posawetz(Bild: Monika König-Krisper)

Mr. Rat can certainly see some merit in this and sentences the two men to an unconditional fine of 1,600 and 800 euros (not legally binding). Incidentally, the judge wanted to know from the defendants: "Who was the third person in the group?" "We don't know," they both agreed. "Of course not," says Mr. Rat...