Almost two million euros were stolen in just under a minute - then the mistake happened

Almost three years ago, burglars stole almost two million euros from a branch of the Hamburger Sparkasse (Haspa) - now five of the suspected perpetrators are on trial. The public prosecutor's office accuses the men, aged 33 to 38, of gang-related theft. They are said to have driven a car into an underground car park of an apartment building in the Hamm district in the late afternoon of November 23, 2023. From there, according to the prosecution, they got into the stairwell of another apartment building. They deactivated an alarm system in front of an emergency exit door, broke the door open and got into the basement of the savings bank. There they are said to have pried open the barred door of the vault, broken into two lockers and removed 1.95 million euros in cash.

A mishap occurred while the perpetrators were escaping. The spokeswoman said her car collided with the roller shutter door of the underground car park. Parts of the vehicle fell off, which investigators were able to evaluate later. The day after the break-in, the police announced that six masked men had gained access to the branch unnoticed. Then they met an employee and a customer, both 61 years old. The employee alerted the police. The perpetrators fled in a dark SUV. The police searched in vain with around two dozen radio patrol cars.

Two defendants are already serving long prison sentences

The defendants, four of whom are in custody, have significant criminal records, as presiding judge Ulrike Schönfelder said. Two of them, a 38-year-old and a 33-year-old, had already been convicted of two similar joint acts by the Berlin Regional Court and the Bonn Regional Court. The 38-year-old must therefore remain in prison until the beginning of 2033, the 33-year-old until 2029 or the end of 2030. Schönfelder offered the two an understanding. In the event of a full confession, their total sentences would only increase by around one year to a good eight or ten years.

Defense attorney wants acquittal

Two other defendants, aged 38 and 37, were arrested in May this year, and the fifth defendant (34) is at large. According to the judge, the men come from Berlin. The prosecutor spoke of another gang member who is not charged in this case.

The defense attorney for the 38-year-old criticized in an opening statement that the allegations against her client were based only on circumstantial evidence. “My client must be acquitted in this case,” said lawyer Gül Pinar. Judge Schönfelder explained that it was a circumstantial trial and promised: “The evidence will be carefully examined.” The court has scheduled 16 more hearings until December 22nd.