As of: February 9, 2024, 12:46 p.m
By: Anna Liebelt
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Benjamin Lenhart, district court director and criminal judge in Ebersberg, ensured that the debts were settled unusually quickly.
© Josef Ametsbichler
A craftsman owes a snack bar operator from Vaterstetten 1,000 euros.
The Ebersberg district judge doesn't hesitate for long, but ensures direct compensation.
Ebersberg
- The renovation of a snack bar in Vaterstetten ended for the responsible craftsman in the Ebersberg district court.
There the 48-year-old has to answer for fraud.
According to the prosecution, the trained tiler from Moosburg an der Isar (Freising district) was supposed to bring the snack bar on Bahnhofsstrasse into shape in January 2023.
The craftsman set a flat rate of 2,000 euros for the renovation work.
However, the man wanted half of the sum from the 62-year-old owner to purchase materials.
He paid, but nothing happened at his snack bar, which is why the Vaterstetten native finally filed a complaint.
Defendant shows understanding: Then the “fairy tale hour” begins
The defendant initially appeared to be understanding in court.
“It’s true, this agreement did exist,” he told judge Benjamin Lenhart.
However, it is not true that he cheated the snack bar owner.
“I wanted to do the work, but I had family problems.
That’s why everything dragged on,” the man explained.
After all, his mother suddenly died that same month.
The 48-year-old had to return to his home country of Romania to settle his inheritance.
Shortly afterwards, one of his six children suffered a ruptured appendix.
“I had to stay with him for three months,” the Moosburg resident emphasized in court.
He therefore asked the snack bar owner for a delay.
“Now we’re getting into a story time,” the judge replied.
“We have a WhatsApp conversation here that shows pretty much the exact opposite,” he said, pointing his finger at the centimeter-thick file.
Accordingly, the snack bar owner repeatedly tried to contact the tiler over several months - without success.
When asked by the judge, the defendant finally admitted that he had used the money for other purposes.
“Whatever comes in isn’t necessarily used for the specific construction,” he said.
However, he did not want to say exactly what he spent the money on.
(By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter.)
When does the man pay his debts?: The judge chooses the short official route
But he wants to repay the debt of 1,000 euros as soon as possible.
“Do you have that much money in the account?” asked Judge Lenhart.
The defendant nodded hesitantly.
“Then go to the ATM and withdraw it,” ordered the judge, who is also director of the Ebersberg district court, and ordered the hearing to be interrupted.
After around 20 minutes, the defendant came back with the outstanding 1,000 euros in his jacket pocket.
The money finally found its legal way through the judge's table to the snack bar owner, who was called as a witness.
Judge Lenhart then sentenced the craftsman to a fine of 6,000 euros.
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