46-year-old Albanian sentenced to six years in prison in Austria for burglarizing nine homes, damage reaches €40,000

An Austrian court has sentenced a 46-year-old Albanian national to six years in prison after finding him guilty of a series of residential burglaries in the Vorarlberg region.

According to the investigation, during July and August of last year, he forced his way into nine apartments. The money and valuables taken were estimated at at least €14,000, while the total damage, including physical damage to the properties, amounted to nearly €40,000.

Local media report that the defendant has a serious criminal record, having previously served sentences in prisons in Sweden and Denmark. This time, DNA traces collected at the crime scenes led the authorities to him.

He had been the subject of a European arrest warrant and has been held in pretrial detention at Feldkirch prison since March this year. At the court hearing, the defendant was brought in handcuffed to face charges over nine burglaries.

In the presence of the panel of judges, he expressed regret and a desire to start a different life. When the presiding judge asked him about his plans for the future, the 46-year-old mentioned his children. “Of course I want to change; after all, I have two children,” he was quoted as saying.

Despite his remorseful stance, he refused to cover the financial damage in most of the cases. The prosecution emphasized that the damage consisted not only of the stolen property, but also of destroyed doors, broken windows and other damage caused during the forced entries.

Beyond the financial losses, the residents of the nine homes were left with a deep sense of violation. Those affected report feeling insecure and anxious over the fact that strangers entered the privacy of their homes and searched through their personal belongings.

The trial also touched on the possibility of an accomplice. The defendant stated that he had not acted alone, but the identity he provided turned out to be fabricated. This has prevented the authorities from identifying a second person, so the investigation remains open.