The man, who has been in custody since July 2022, fully confessed in court. According to his statement, it was important to him that no one was harmed. In the judge’s opinion, a sentence from the blackmail letter shows a high level of criminal energy, with the threat of “getting off more than lightly with this warning shot” suggesting that people could be injured or even killed.
The public prosecutor demanded a nine-year prison sentence. As no one was injured, the defendant confessed and a large part of the €500,000 was recovered, the court did not impose this sentence. The defendant now has one week to lodge an appeal at the Federal Supreme Court in Karlsruhe, the public prosecutor’s office has waived this option.