Four Serbian bicycle thieves convicted in Salzburg

Four members of a gang specialising in bicycle theft were convicted in Salzburg on Wednesday, ORF reported. The men stole around two dozen high-end bicycles worth nearly 50,000 euros in the city and sold them through intermediaries in Serbia.

The bicycles were taken from underground car parks, cellars and public bicycle stands. The men were arrested in Salzburg in April after hiding and being tracked down by a police dog.

The four Serbian defendants admitted the offences in court. They cited financial difficulties as their motives, including supporting a young family, caring for a dependent mother and an invalid father, and gambling addiction.

The judge described the men as “criminal tourists” who had travelled to Austria specifically to steal. It is not known how much money they made from the bicycles.

The sentences range from 18 months in prison without parole to one year, in some cases with part of the sentence suspended. Two of the convictions are already final.

The alleged intermediaries who received the bicycles in Serbia have also been charged. They did not appear in court because they are subject to an entry ban for Austria. It is currently unclear whether they will ever face trial.