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Stolen Ferrari (archive picture): "There is little to relieve you"
Photo: A9999 police / dpa
A 45-year-old is sentenced to three years and three months in prison for the spectacular theft of a Ferrari that cost more than two million euros.
The district court in Neuss near Düsseldorf sentenced the man to this sentence.
The judge referred to the overwhelming evidence.
Not only would several witnesses have recognized the man beyond doubt.
His fingerprints and DNA were also secured in the car.
"There is little that can be done to exonerate you," the prosecutor had observed in her plea.
Nevertheless, the defense attorney Henner Apfel requested not only an acquittal, but also the lifting of the arrest warrant for his client.
The 45-year-old with a relevant criminal record was silent on the allegations.
Judge Kay Uwe Krüger said the arrest warrant remains in place because of the risk of fleeing.
The thief appeared on May 13, 2019 in Düsseldorf as a prospective buyer at a vintage car dealership and had taken an alleged test drive with the Ferrari, which was offered for 2.35 million euros.
The car once belonged to Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine
When there was supposed to be a driver change in neighboring Neuss and the salesman had got out, the 45-year-old accelerated and raced away in the 400-hp vehicle, while the perplexed salesman stayed on the side of the road.
According to a witness, the sports car was later seized in a garage in Grevenbroich on the Lower Rhine.
The first owner of the rare Ferrari 288 GTO, built in 1985, was the former Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine, according to the sales advertisement.
"The owner from Leichlingen wanted to sell the Ferrari through our company," said an employee of the classic car trade as a witness.
At that time, the interested party reported under a different name in Düsseldorf and appeared very knowledgeable at the appointment.
When the thief had left the perplexed seller on the side of the road behind, he did not get far.
"Before the trip, I only filled up for around 15 euros," said the witness.
Probably because of a lack of fuel, the car thief had approached an allotment gardener in neighboring Grevenbroich with the words: "Garage, garage - my Ferrari," the hobby gardener described as a witness.
He said he had to park the car somewhere safe for fear of scratches.
"I didn't think anything of it and offered him my garage."
Friends then pointed out to the helpful allotment gardener that the Ferrari was being sought.
"We called the police straight away," he said.
Days later, the man appeared again with him.
“I told him the car was gone.
The police have it. "
The 45-year-old was quickly identified as a perpetrator, but had to serve a 22-month prison sentence in his home country.
The widespread international coverage of the spectacular coup had led to information from France, where a newspaper reader tipped the 45-year-old.
As defense attorney Henner Apfel said after the hearing, his client does not want to contest the judgment.
The Ferrari could then be secured almost undamaged.
“We just had to clean the car and have the locks replaced.
That cost our company 12,000 euros and a lot of trust, «said the seller.
The owner has since sold the Ferrari after all.
mxw / dpa