Repeat Offender Won His Release Through Czech Constitutional Court — Now Back Behind Bars, This Time in Austria

A German repeat offender who was previously released following a ruling by the Constitutional Court is now sitting in an Austrian prison. This was confirmed by Lucie Ženíšková, spokesperson for the Pilsen District Court, who noted that the court has sent a request to Austrian judicial authorities for details on the relevant ruling in the man's case.

The Pilsen court is expected to order the man to serve out the remainder of his original sentence, from which he had been released early following the Constitutional Court's intervention.

The Pilsen Regional Court had twice denied the man parole, describing him as an "incorrigible repeat offender." However, after the Constitutional Court criticized that stance, the regional court ultimately released the German early — from his most recent sentence, which he had been due to serve until 2027.

The man's first brushes with the law date back to his teenage years. Since then, his criminal record has grown to include more than two dozen convictions, mostly for theft. According to police, he is a hardened thief who has spent nearly half his life behind bars.

According to the man himself, his main motive for seeking early release was to be near his ailing mother — she is over 90 and suffers from Alzheimer's disease. "I have a very strong emotional bond with her, because she stood by me even when I was committing crimes, and she always lent a helping hand. I wanted to give back at least a fraction of what she has given me my whole life," he explained in his request, adding that he wanted to put his extensive criminal past behind him for good.

The Pilsen Regional Court, however, opposed his early release. It justified its decision by pointing out that the man is a multiple, incorrigible repeat offender from whom law-abiding behavior could not be expected in the future. The court also noted that after each of his previous releases, he remained free for only a very short time before reoffending.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz