Trial without a thief

Coma patient was brazenly robbed in hospital

The accused woman from Burgenland will now be brought before the court on March 28.(Bild: HS)

While the man was fighting for survival in the intensive care unit in Oberpullendorf and did not notice anything, his "girlfriend" helped herself to the patient's belongings. The woman from Burgenland did not appear for the trial at Eisenstadt Regional Court.

Hospital visit of a different kind in Oberpullendorf: A 32-year-old woman steals into the room of her "boyfriend", who is in an artificial deep sleep, and takes cash, valuables and his ATM card from the night box. She uses the latter to withdraw 3270 euros and goes shopping.

The unemployed woman from Burgenland, a mother of three children, is said to have told the police that the purchases and payments in April 2024 were "only on behalf of her boyfriend".

Did the man know beforehand that he would soon fall into a coma?

Woman cannot be contacted
The public prosecutor and the panel of lay assessors appeared punctually at 9 a.m. on Monday for the trial at Eisenstadt Regional Court. Only: the defendant didn't show up, so we all went home after five minutes. "I'm not at all surprised," says her public defender. "I had already tried to reach her by phone several times beforehand. Not a single call back! Basically, I haven't spoken a word to her yet."

Next attempt
The next trial attempt will now start on March 28. Following an order from the chairwoman of the panel of lay judges, the woman will be collected from her home by the police and brought before them. The presumption of innocence applies.