Court convicts six motorway rest stop thieves

Six members of a theft gang have received final convictions from the St Pölten regional court after targeting motorists at rest stops along the A1 motorway, ORF reported. The men distracted their victims with conversations and other manoeuvres before stealing valuables from their vehicles.

The six defendants, aged between 27 and 44, were sentenced on Wednesday to unconditional prison terms ranging from three to 19 months for serious commercial theft as part of a criminal organisation. They admitted the charges in full or in part. Most had previous convictions for similar offences.

According to the indictment, the men from Czechia, Slovakia and Kosovo carried out the thefts over several months along the West motorway, using different methods to distract their victims. In one case, one of the men caused a rear end collision while a partner stole cash from the other driver’s vehicle.

The trial lasted more than five hours and included 17 witnesses. The case involved 22 incidents in which the defendants allegedly stole cash, handbags, wallets, mobile phones and other valuables at motorway rest stops in the Mostviertel region. They also faced charges including the suppression of documents.