Justice - Drach trial: Prosecution demands long prison sentence
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. In the trial, which has been running at Cologne District Court since February 2022, Drach is accused of several robberies. Following the pleas, 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.
Application for preventive detention
In addition to the prison sentence, the public prosecutor's office also applied for 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.
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- The trial against Thomas Drach, the former Reemtsma kidnapper, is taking place at the Cologne Regional Court in Germany.
- The public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia is demanding a 15-year prison sentence and preventive detention for Drach.
- The 63-year-old is accused of several robberies, including three at Reemtsma cigarette factories and at Cologne/Bonn Airport in 2018 and 2019.
- Drach himself denies any involvement in the crimes and his defense lawyers have pleaded for acquittal.
- The public prosecutor's office has presented evidence such as Drach's DNA on a license plate holder and testimony from a former fellow inmate to support their case.
- However, they were unable to provide evidence for a robbery in Limburg, Hesse, for which Drach is also charged.
- The defense lawyers have accused Drach's former fellow inmate of lying to get a lenient sentence in his own trial.
- The 63-year-old was transferred to a secure custody facility in Frankfurt on the Main after serving his previous sentence for the kidnapping of Jan Philipp Reemtsma in 1996.
Source: www.stern.de
