The members of a gang of watch thieves have been sentenced in Munich to prison terms of up to three years and eight months. All three of the accused were found guilty of attempted aggravated robbery and two of the accused were also convicted of aggravated robbery, the Munich I Regional Court said. The men are said to have attacked people with expensive wristwatches in the city center. All three of the accused had previously been convicted in Italy in connection with similar crimes.
According to the court, their actions in Munich were always the same: one of the defendants is said to have suddenly approached the victim on the sidewalk or in the street and snatched his wristwatch. The perpetrator then fled on a motorcycle that was waiting nearby and handed the watch over to another gang member in a car.