Two suspected supporters of the so-called lateral thinker scene are said to have caused an ICE train in Lower Franconia to brake quickly in the fight against the corona protection measures: The Gemünden am Main district court therefore imposed prison sentences on Friday for the two accused. The 38-year-old and his 61-year-old accomplice were found guilty of negligent, dangerous intervention in rail traffic and coercion, a court spokesman said. The verdict is not yet legally binding. An appeal or revision could be filed within a week.
The man received a prison sentence of one year and nine months. Because he had already received a suspended sentence for another offence, this new sentence was not suspended. The woman was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended on probation. The probationary period was set at three years. In addition, the 61-year-old has to pay a payment of ten installments of 150 euros each. Both defendants had given no information on the matter in the main hearing.
According to the indictment, the duo helped put up five posters attached to wooden slats over the tracks on the Gemünden-Waigolshausen railway in January 2021. The banners read, among other things, in red: “Caution, broken track 2 km” and “This time fake”. An ICE coming from Schweinfurt with 62 passengers drove through one of these constructions with a size of about 1.50 by 4.50 meters. The train driver initiated an emergency stop. Nobody got hurt. The investigators quickly assumed that opponents of the Corona measures could be responsible for the action in order to attract national attention. Accomplices have not yet been identified.