- Trial after jeweler's assault: "He shot me"
It's a sentence that likely no one wants to hear while shopping - and that most people probably only know from the movies: "Hands up, robbery!" This is what two young men are said to have shouted when they robbed a jewelry store in Hannover in the summer of 2023 - in broad daylight and in the middle of the city center. Masked and armed with a firearm, they stormed into the store, where customers were present, smashed display cases, and shot at an employee - the then 39-year-old man was seriously injured. They escaped with their loot on women's bicycles: gold chains.
A 20-year-old is already in prison, sentenced to seven years of juvenile detention in February. Now, a 19-year-old alleged accomplice and a 23-year-old alleged mastermind and instigator are on trial. The 19-year-old had fled to the Iraq in the meantime, surrendering about seven months later. The trial at the Regional Court of Hannover ended abruptly after the charges were read out: one of the lawyers could not appear at the start of the trial. The trial will continue on September 3 (2:00 PM).
23-year-old did not want to commit the act himself
What are the men accused of? Out of greed and cunning, the 19-year-old Iraqi allegedly attempted to kill a person, as the public prosecutor said while reading out the charges. Heavy robbery was also charged against him.
The 23-year-old, on the other hand, did not want to commit the act himself, but hired the men, gave the 19-year-old a firearm, and instructed his accomplice to procure a sledgehammer and gloves. He also allegedly encouraged them to shoot at the employees if necessary - thereby accepting the risk of people dying. As a reward, they were to receive a share of the loot.
Threat by the mastermind
The investigators only became aware of the 23-year-old Croatian during the proceedings against the 20-year-old: he had stated in court that he had been forced to participate in the robbery under pressure. The chamber took into account a threat from a mastermind when passing sentence on the young man in February.
After the two young men stormed into the store, the 20-year-old allegedly smashed several display cases containing jewelry, according to the charges. His younger accomplice shot at the employee several times but missed. When the employee threw a trash can at the attackers, he shot again - and hit him in the abdomen. "He shot me," the victim is said to have called out before fleeing the salesroom. The man survived with life-threatening injuries to the liver and one kidney, which had to be removed. According to the public prosecutor, the robbery lasted about a minute.
No statements planned
The 20-year-old accomplice had his lawyer make the following statement in the first trial: "I would like to sincerely apologize to all the people I have harmed and caused suffering to. I will do my best to make amends, and I take responsibility for smashing display cases and stealing jewelry: I should not have done that." Currently, no statements from the accused are planned for the new trial, as their lawyers said. The 23-year-old appeared quite relaxed at the start of the trial; he smiled at his family in the courtroom.
The trial for the alleged accomplice and mastermind of the jewelry store robbery in The Hanover is scheduled to continue on September 3. During the initial proceedings, it was revealed that the 23-year-old Croatian accused was pressured into participating by a mastermind, leading to consideration of threats during his sentencing.
