Two and a half years imprisonment in fraud trial over drive amok

Processes - Two and a half years imprisonment in fraud trial over drive amok

In order to swindle money and treatment, a 54-year-old man falsely posed as a victim after driving amok in Volkmarsen in northern Hesse. On Monday, the Korbach district court sentenced the man to two years and six months in prison for three counts of commercial fraud, two of which were attempted. The judge said that the crime was "morally difficult to understand" in view of the terrible events in Volkmarsen.

She credited the defendant with the fact that he had confessed on the last day of the trial after previously denying the allegations. "It's right that I wasn't there," said the 54-year-old on Monday. He was sorry and wanted to pay for the damage caused. The man already has several previous convictions for fraud. He was on probation at the time of the crime.

On February 24, 2020, a 29-year-old man deliberately crashed into the Rose Monday parade in Volkmarsen and injured almost 90 people, including 26 children, some of them seriously. As the accused admitted, he was at his home in Bad Arolsen on the day of the attack and learned about the events from the media. However, he claimed to be an eyewitness to the attack and a first responder who had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.

The man received injury and sickness benefits from the health insurance fund. The accident insurance fund paid for his inpatient treatment in a trauma clinic. According to the court, this resulted in total damages of around 41,000 euros. The 54-year-old also tried twice unsuccessfully to obtain compensation for pain and suffering from associations that help road accident victims. In addition to the prison sentence, the judge ordered the confiscation of the value obtained. The defendant also has to pay the costs of the proceedings.

He explained that he had not been in Volkmarsen on the day of the rampage as claimed. "But I was well aware of it through the press." The reporting had brought up something "that was very deep-seated", he said. "I know it was wrong." He is sorry and wants to make up for the damage. Nevertheless, he first had to get his health back under control, said the diabetic.

He had wanted to profit from a terrible act, the judge accused the man. He had already started the scam on the day after the rampage. At that time, he had sent an e-mail to the accident insurance fund with the wording "What are you entitled to? This was apparently the motto for the next three years. "Everything that was possible was somehow still taken," said the judge. For example, the defendant had taken cab rides worth 1,500 euros alone on the grounds that he could no longer drive due to the trauma he had suffered.

"You escalated the whole thing further and further until your girlfriend filed a complaint." In a voice message to his friend shortly after the crime, the man said that he was watching the Cologne carnival on television. A few minutes later, in another message, he said that he had just heard about the incident in Volkmarsen from the media.

The judge spoke of a house of cards that the defendant had tried with all his might to maintain until the end, even in court. He had presented a medical certificate stating that he was unfit to stand trial after he had failed to attend the previous hearing without excuse. However, both a doctor and a psychologist confirmed to the court that the man was fit to stand trial. The defendant had also initially failed to appear at the start of the trial and was forcibly brought before the police by order of the judge.

The judge ruled that he was guilty of a particularly serious case of fraud. However, it had apparently also been made easy for him. "They wanted to help the victims easily and unbureaucratically. And you simply jumped on the bandwagon." The accused was helped and assisted from all sides. "You probably didn't need to be so active yourself. You simply took advantage of this unbureaucratic help."

The public prosecutor's office had demanded a total prison sentence of three years. They emphasized the "particular reprehensibility" of the crime. The defense had pleaded for a sentence commensurate with guilt and the crime. The verdict is not yet final.