Mönchengladbach (dpa / lnw) - After a spectacular attempted car theft, the district court in Mönchengladbach on Monday sentenced a 37-year-old man to eight years in prison for attempted murder. The accused allegedly wanted to buy a car in Viersen in December 2021. But when he saw it, he just drove off. Because the 70-year-old owner clung to the open car door, the accused tried to shake him off with violent steering movements. When that didn't work, the 37-year-old deliberately hit a tree. During the collision, the car door banged against the car owner. He suffered bruises and sprains. The 37-year-old fled and was identified months later.
According to the court, he had previously stolen two cars and a mobile phone with the same scam. Because of his heavy use of cocaine and cannabis, he was placed in rehab. Before that, he has to serve two years in prison.
The 37-year-old had apologized to the victim in the process. The public prosecutor had demanded eight and a half years in prison for him and his placement in rehab. His defense attorney had also suggested that he be placed in prison, but he considered a sentence of five years and eight months to be sufficient. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
