Public prosecutor's office - Drach trial: Prosecution demands imprisonment, defense demands acquittal
In the trial against former Reemtsma kidnapper Thomas Drach in Cologne, the public prosecutor's office has demanded 15 years in prison and preventive detention for the accused. The 63-year-old's defense lawyers, on the other hand, pleaded for acquittal on Wednesday. In the trial, which has been running at Cologne Regional Court since February 2022, Drach is accused of several robberies. Following the pleas on Wednesday, the verdict could be reached soon. Drach himself denies having anything to do with the crimes.
The public prosecutor's office assumed that the 63-year-old was guilty of aggravated robbery and attempted murder. On the 99th day of the trial, they considered it "proven beyond doubt" that Drach had robbed three cash-in-transit vehicles in front of Ikea stores in Cologne and Frankfurt am Main and at Cologne/Bonn Airport in 2018 and 2019. Drach had also shot and seriously injured cash carriers in two of the attacks. Because he had acted out of greed, this was to be regarded as attempted murder, said the public prosecutor. In total, the 63-year-old stole almost 142,000 euros in the three crimes.
It should ultimately be noted that "the evidence points like an arrow to the defendant Drach", the plea stated. The prosecutor referred, among other things, to a trace of Drach's DNA on a license plate holder of an escape vehicle, to the 63-year-old's connections to certain vehicles in connection with the crimes and to the testimony of a former fellow inmate. The latter had stated during the trial that Drach had admitted three of the four robberies to him in prison. The prosecutor described the witness as "absolutely credible". In conjunction with the evaluation of video recordings from surveillance cameras at the crime scenes, a well-rounded overall picture emerged, the prosecutor said.
However, the prosecution was unable to provide any evidence for a robbery of a cash-in-transit in Limburg, Hesse, for which Drach was also charged. She requested acquittal for this crime.
In addition to the prison sentence, the public prosecutor also requested preventive detention for the German. After serving his prison sentence, Drach would be transferred to a secure detention facility. There he would remain behind bars. Against the background of Drach's numerous previous convictions - including the kidnapping of the heir to the Hamburg tobacco dynasty, Jan Philipp Reemtsma, in 1996 - the public prosecutor said: "Crime has been his only strategy since his earliest youth to make money and lead a life of luxury."
Drach's defense lawyers, on the other hand, pleaded for acquittal. "Mr. Drach may be suspicious in the sense of the indictment," said one defence lawyer. But that was not enough for a conviction. Drach had not been recognized at any of the crime scenes or identified by witnesses. "Nobody said: there he is, Thomas, the Reemtsma kidnapper," said the defense lawyer. The defense lawyer accused Drach's former fellow inmate in custody, cited by the public prosecutor, of lying. The man had incriminated Drach in order to get a lenient sentence in his own trial at another district court. "The defendant has not been objectively convicted here," the lawyer continued.
On the previous day of the trial, Drach had surprisingly demanded the dismissal of his two defense attorneys. Among other things, he had accused one of the defense attorneys of having allowed himself to be bought by a senior public prosecutor. The request for dismissal was rejected by the court as unfounded before the pleadings.
The trial is scheduled to continue on January 4, 2024. Drach will then have the opportunity to say his last words. It is still unclear whether a verdict will be reached then.
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- During the trial, the public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia accused Thomas Drach of multiple robberies at Reemtsma cigarette factories in Frankfurt on the Main and Cologne, as well as at Ikea stores and Cologne/Bonn Airport.
- The public prosecutor's office in Hesse could not provide evidence for a robbery charge against Drach in Limburg, resulting in a request for acquittal for that crime.
- The defense lawyers for Thomas Drach argued for his acquittal, stating that he was not recognized or identified by witnesses at any of the crime scenes.
- The public prosecutor's office presented evidence, including a trace of Drach's DNA on a license plate holder from an escape vehicle and testimony from a former inmate, to support their case for guilt.
- Drach's request for the dismissal of his defense attorneys was rejected by the court as unfounded before the pleadings in the trial.
- The trial against Thomas Drach, who is accused of aggravated robbery and attempted murder, continues on January 4, 2024, with Drach having the opportunity to make his final statement.
- Thomas Drach has a lengthy criminal history, including the kidnapping of the heir to the Hamburg tobacco dynasty, Jan Philipp Reemtsma, in 1996.
- The verdict in the trial against Thomas Drach will take place at the Cologne Regional Court, with a decision on the 15-year imprisonment and preventive detention demand from the public prosecutor's office pending.
Source: www.stern.de
