Since mid-February, a total of six men, three Iraqis and three Syrians between the ages of 24 and 30, are on trial for a terrifying robbery of a jewelry store in the German city of Kassel.
The group said to have worn horror clown masks while breaking into a Turkish family home owned by a jewelry store Once they tied them up, they threatened and beat them before stealing gold, jewelry, and around €135,000 in cash. Five of the six defendants are facing trial for a series of severe charges, including joint aggravated robbery, extortion, and conspiracy to commit burglary. One defendant is also facing a separate charge for possession of child pornography.
According to the prosecution, the group targeted the home of a 58-year-old jeweler in a highly organized attack. Investigators state that several members of the group broke into the residence, where they bound and gagged the jeweler’s wife and other relatives.
When the jeweler arrived home, he was allegedly held at gunpoint while the perpetrators demanded the keys to his shop. While some members of the group stayed behind to guard the hostages, others drove to Kassel city center, where they looted jewelry, gold, and approximately €135,000 in cash.
Prosecutor Andreas Thöne noted during Monday’s proceedings that the group was meticulously prepared. The defendants reportedly wore masks and carried cable ties to restrain their victims. They also utilized two “deceptively real” Airsoft weapons to threaten the victims.
The victims were gagged and bound for a long period of time and systematically beaten, including facial bruising, skull hematomas, and lacerations.
During the trial, the victim’s lawyer described how the Turkish family had saved money and worked hard for years to open their own store. The wife of the owner took care of mentally disabled relatives.
However, the robbery has shattered their lives and the Turkish man lost his shop since he had never bought an insurance policy. He still has an outstanding loan of €90,000 that he has to pay. The couple, along with their mentally disabled relatives who were present, all suffer psychological consequences to this day. The family has since sold the house and left town due to the terror they experienced.
One suspect determined to have “diminished responsibility”
Although four defendants regularly consumed alcohol and illegal drugs, the expert witness, a doctor, stated that only suspect had “diminished responsibility.”
“Everyone had a difficult childhood. But there are major differences in what the consequences of this can be,“ stated Dr. Peter Reinhold-Hildenhagen, a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy before the 11th Criminal Chamber of the Kassel District Court as he submitted his report.
He was speaking about four defendants whom he had to examine more closely during the trial. The expert reports deal with the question of whether the defendants can be assumed to have diminished responsibility and whether placement in a withdrawal facility is an option.
Four of the defendants involved in this raid had stated that they regularly consumed drugs and alcohol. Therefore, the criminal chamber had appointed the expert shortly after the start of the trial.
In the end, the expert concluded that all four men had been addicted to narcotics in various forms before committing the crimes, according to German newspaper HNA. However, only the 30-year-old Iraqi was determined to have “diminished capacity,” which means the psychiatrist believes he is not as responsible for his action as the others.
“What distinguishes this defendant from the others?“ asked Prosecutor Janne Wißing.
According to Reinhold-Hildenhagen, the 30-year-old had not only consumed more drugs than the other defendants after a relapse, but he had also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic embitterment disorder. Reinhold-Hildenhagen, claimed this latter disorder is often found among refugees due to “extremely unjust” and “humiliating” experiences.
The expert’s stated that the men all experienced war and poverty. The 30-year-old Iraqi stated that he was regularly beaten by his father. At 16, he left his parental home for Baghdad. In 2018, he left for Europe, stopping in Istanbul and Athens.
After three asylum applications were rejected in Greece, he obtained false papers to get to Germany, and remained abstinent for two years.
Eventually, his asylum application was also rejected in Germany, but once he started training as a geriatric nurse, his deportation was halted.
It was however not long before personal problems and money worries led him to relapse in December 2024, one month before the robbery of the jeweler and his family.
Falk Werhahn, defense attorney for a 30-year-old Iraqi, claimed his client “could have become a model example of integration.” Werhahn said he had learned the language very well and was a favorite of his patients.
“He ruined his whole life,” said Werhahn.
