A previously unblemished 15-year-old was sentenced to prison by the Vienna Regional Criminal Court on Wednesday for committing a robbery just ten minutes after being interrogated by police over a previous one. Two accomplices, aged 15 and 16, also faced charges. In court, all three appeared remorseful and apologized. They received several months of prison time.
The 15-year-old was convicted of multiple offenses, including aggravated robbery, coercion, theft of non-cash payment instruments, burglary, threats, bodily harm, and property damage. He received a 20-month sentence, with four months to be served in prison. His two accomplices—who already had criminal records—received 22 months (six months served) and two years of unconditional imprisonment, respectively. All three accepted the verdicts; the prosecutor did not comment, making the verdicts non-final.
Repeat Offense Minutes After Release
The 15-year-old, of Bulgarian origin and a former student at a prestigious private school, had been held in pre-trial detention since Easter Sunday due to the risk of reoffending. He and his co-defendants—a 15-year-old Afghan and a 16-year-old Austrian—were accused of breaking into several parked cars near Vienna’s U1 Kagraner Platz station and stealing valuables in the early hours of April 13.
They then robbed a 34-year-old man by threatening him with a fake baseball bat, demanding his wallet and attempting to withdraw cash using his bank card. The victim foiled the attempt by intentionally entering incorrect PIN codes. Police caught the trio during their escape. The two with prior convictions remained in custody, while the 15-year-old was released by order of the prosecutor.
Another Robbery Ten Minutes Later
A mere ten minutes later, the boy committed another robbery—attacking a pedestrian and demanding cash. The victim resisted, and firefighters passing by intervened. The teen fled home, where he was later arrested in front of his shocked mother.
The teen also faced charges for an incident in a drugstore in Vienna’s Donaustadt district, where he threw baby powder and a metal shopping basket at a sales clerk after being told off for spraying himself with perfume. The woman suffered a bloody lip.
