Dreaming of a Rolls-Royce
An unlikely duo of an Austrian and a Ukrainian went on trial Wednesday for serially breaking into expensive luxury cars – “for selfies,” according to one of the defendants.
“He just loves luxury cars. Even in prison, he dreams of a Bentley, a Porsche and the like every day,” said his lawyer Leo Kregcik, showing off the almost touching drawings at the Vienna Regional Court – all of which his 24-year-old client had made in his cell. It was not the first time the near-fanatical car lover had been brought to trial. The school dropout had already been convicted of driving a Rolls-Royce without permission. He had broken into the unlocked car, found a spare key and then driven the luxury vehicle around central Vienna for several days.
By chance, in December 2023, he met a Ukrainian named “Stan” – 1.90 m tall, with an unbuttoned shirt, a mane of hair and sideburns. Soon after, the unlikely duo plotted together to find more unlocked cars. ” I wandered through airport parking lots and garages for a few days. Out of 1,000 cars, one or two were actually unlocked,” the first defendant said.
To make matters worse, an accomplice provided him with a so-called Lichi tool – an illegal universal key for various car brands – but not without ulterior motives: valuables worth more than 54,000 euros disappeared from the cars, including one pair of jewels. The 24-year-old had to bring ID cards, passports and documents to the Ukrainian, who in turn allegedly used them to forge documents. In February 2024, both accomplices were handcuffed.
” All I wanted to do was sit in the cars and snap photos for my Instagram account. If I liked something, I took it home as a trophy and a souvenir,” he explained to the judge in a brittle voice.
For a Ukrainian with a criminal past, the 24-year-old was nothing short of a useful idiot, admitting to all but one of the charges. Among the long list of broken-in vehicles, he “definitely didn’t touch” the family Toyota van. “I wouldn’t get into such a cheap car. Moreover, it was dirty,” the defendant said indignantly, causing unintentional laughter in the courtroom.
Sentences: 2 years and 2 months of unconditional imprisonment for the motorist – legally binding. 3 years and 9 months for the Ukrainian – not final.