Martin schweiger a 41-year-old man from the habberge district shamelessly exploited his position of trust as deputy manager of a supermarket in august last year: on 9. August 2018 he stole about 18.50 watch from the safe, for which he ordered a key, 320 euros. Unfortunately for him, he was filmed by a video camera that the store manager had installed unnoticed after there had been repeated discrepancies in the amount of cash on hand.
On wednesday, the thief had to answer to the district court in habfurt, where he described the crime as a "blodheit" he said that he had regretted early on. He had returned the money the next day. Nevertheless, the store manager did not withdraw the complaint.
Since the 2. In may 2018, the defendant was employed as a deputy manager, the store manager reported as a witness before the court. Since then, there have always been "differences in the safe" which is why he had a video camera installed. Finally, he wanted to know what had happened to the money. On the video recording, he had finally been able to identify the thief without a doubt as his deputy and had given him notice of termination the day after the crime.
Market manager incriminates defendant
Since he had initially not received any unemployment benefits from the employment office as a result of the termination without notice, the defendant had resorted to a ruse: as the store manager explained, he had the form from the employment office stamped with a company stamp from the supermarket and had made false statements on it. He declared his salary as 3500 euros, although he earned only 2500 euros. The reason for termination was "not for operational reasons" in order to circumvent a lockout. Even the signature on the form did not come from him, the store manager stated in the witness stand. However, the defendant denied before the court that he had submitted an application to the employment office.
The theft was not the only crime he was accused of by the prosecution. In april last year, he allegedly collected unemployment benefits in the amount of 1142.35 euros for the month of march, although at that time he already had a job.
The defendant rejected this accusation. He had marked the employment contract on the online portal of the labor office on the 1. March 2018 backdated and thus deregistered as a jobseeker. He had worked in human resources for five years and was stupid, he said, if he hadn't done that. The defendant tried to counter the prosecutor's objection as to why he had not paid back the money as soon as the amount appeared on his account statement by saying that he had become a father in march of last year and had not taken care of his account during that time. From 1. February of this year he will pay back the money in installments, he said on the record.
An employee of the labor office explained to the court that it was possible to retroactively deregister as unemployed.
Continued
The main hearing was suspended. Further witnesses are to be heard at a continuation hearing. The court did not want to dismiss the case with a fine on this count, as the defendant already had a number of previous convictions in his criminal record.