Seven years in prison

Callboy drugged victim and stole 30,000 euros

The case was heard on Tuesday at Salzburg Provincial Court.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

A man from Salzburg arranged a sex meeting on a dating platform for homosexuals in May 2023. However, the Spaniard contacted was a Romanian (34) who, according to the indictment, mixed narcotics into the man's beer and then robbed him. At the trial in Salzburg, the man was sentenced to seven years in prison.

At the trial on Tuesday in Salzburg Provincial Court, the public prosecutor spoke of an "international group of offenders" to which the accused belonged: "The accused's brother is in custody in Germany for the same offense." Not only that: there are also similar criminal proceedings against the accused 34-year-old in Switzerland.

Narcotics mixed into the beer
It happened on 24 May 2023 in the victim's apartment in Mattsee. The accused and the victim had arranged to meet via the "Planet Romeo" platform. They drank beer together in the apartment. "In an unobserved moment", the Romanian allegedly mixed an unknown narcotic into his victim's drink, according to the prosecutor. The man from Salzburg lost consciousness and only woke up hours later in the middle of the night. "I had a terrible headache", the victim said on the witness stand. It was only the next day that he noticed the money was missing: around 30,000 euros in various currencies. He tried to call the supposed call boy several times, but to no avail. The account on the online platform had also been deleted. He then went to the police with his lawyer.

I'm aware of the damage. The money is gone. But I'm sure I'm not the only victim and I want to warn others about it.

Das Raubopfer im Zeugenstand

The accused himself, a construction worker who has been married for 16 years and father of a child, told a different story: he was secretly bisexual and the whole thing was a spontaneous sex meeting while traveling from Spain to Romania. The accused accused accused the victim of taking drugs: the man from Salzburg had given him cocaine and drops. And the money? "I didn't take anything," said the accused.

The judge asked the victim about the drug allegations. "No, I have nothing to do with such things," emphasized the man from Salzburg. In the end, the lay jury found the defendant's version of events not credible: he was sentenced to seven years' unconditional imprisonment for aggravated robbery. The verdict is not final.