Man jailed for scratching 406 car
A German court on Friday sentenced a 26-year-old man to two and a half years in prison for scratching the paintwork of more than 400 cars.
The Schweinfurt District Court found that the suspect had caused around 440,000 euros ($474,373) in property damage by scratching 406 cars with a sharp object in 2018.
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His trial in the Southern state of Bavaria took 24 days.
The man’s motive remained unclear, as he refused to testify.
Meanwhile, a psychiatric expert did not find any evidence of mental illness.
The prosecution had requested a prison term of three and a half years.
It had initially accused the defendant of having damaged 642 cars, causing damage of nearly one million euros, but later revised those figures.
The search for the culprit lasted weeks and police even resorted to setting-up a special commission with the name “paint scratcher”.
The suspect was caught in the act and arrested after a woman in Schweinfurt town heard scratching noises one morning in April 2018.
However, officers found the man in possession of a screw.
