Six jewelry robbers stand before the Lucerne criminal court
Published: Tuesday, Jan 23rd 2024, 04:50
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Six men who are alleged to have been involved in an armed robbery of a jewelry store in Lucerne in 2019 will have to answer to the Lucerne Criminal Court from today, Tuesday. Watches and jewelry worth over 20 million francs are said to have been stolen.
The public prosecutor is requesting prison sentences of between seven and eleven years for the 32 to 61-year-old men and an expulsion order for a period of 15 years for the four without a Swiss passport. The six suspects are alleged to have planned and carried out the robbery as co-perpetrators.
The robbery at the Gübelin store on Lucerne's Schwanenplatz was committed on October 26, 2019. According to the public prosecutor's office, two men forced their way into the store at 8 a.m. through the electronically secured staff entrance. One tied up and guarded the three female employees present. The other, who acted as the ringleader and was in possession of a pistol, emptied the safes.
According to the indictment, the two perpetrators fled with four bags full of jewelry. The ringleader hid the loot in a forest in the Littau district and then in a nearby apartment. A day later, the handcuffs were already clicking there, and further arrests followed later. Jewelry worth almost 7 million francs is still missing from the loot.
Gübelin already raided in 2017
According to the public prosecutor, the man who was in charge of the robbery should serve eleven years in prison. He is said to have already robbed the same jewelry store in 2017 and made a haul of 3.3 million francs. He is also accused of two attempted robberies against Gübelin, one of which took place just a few days before the robbery on October 26, 2019.
According to the public prosecutor, these robberies were only possible because a man employed by the jewelry store as a janitor gave the necessary tips. A prison sentence of ten years has been requested for him.
The public prosecutor's office is demanding sentences of seven and eight years for a further four defendants. Two are said to have been the main organizers. One is said to have been responsible for the accommodation and chauffeur services. Another accused is said to have provided his brothel as accommodation and meeting place and was also involved in an attempted robbery of Gübelin.
The man who guarded the three employees in the 20 million franc robbery is not on trial. According to the public prosecutor's office, he had only carried out orders and was the only one to fully confess. He will therefore be sentenced in a separate and shortened trial and thus receive a lighter sentence than the others.
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