- Two years probation for eyeglass theft.
After a series of burglaries in optician stores and a jewelry shop, a 54-year-old man has been sentenced to two years' probation. The court found that the man stole a total of 658 pairs of glasses, optician equipment, and jewelry during these crimes in Berlin and Potsdam. The Berlin-Tiergarten Local Court convicted the defendant of theft in five cases.
Additionally, the court ordered the seizure of approximately 220,000 euros, which corresponds to the value of the stolen goods. The sentence also took into account a previous conviction for a probationary sentence, also for theft.
Loan shark forced him to commit burglaries
The auto mechanic admitted in his confession that he committed the crimes due to debts. He had borrowed money from a man for his father's medical treatment, who demanded high interest rates.
When he failed to pay the third of seven installments on time, the loan shark forced him to commit burglaries. "He chose the locations, took me there," the defendant said. Out of fear, he agreed to the crimes. "I'm really sorry, I should have gone to the police."
Burglary also at a jewelry shop
The defendant is suspected of breaking into four optician stores between November 2020 and May 2022, and one jewelry shop. The value of the stolen eyeglass frames in Berlin is estimated at 114,000 euros.
In a Potsdam optician store, he stole high-value equipment worth about 60,000 euros. Additionally, the 54-year-old is suspected of breaking into a jewelry shop, where jewelry worth around 46,000 euros was stolen.
The 54-year-old was identified as a suspect by the prosecution through information from other proceedings, location data, and DNA and blood traces. He has been in custody for nearly a year due to another case at the Cologne Prison.
During the sentencing, the court considered the man's previous probationary sentence for theft as a mitigating factor. Despite being on probationary period, he was involved in a series of burglaries during this time.
