Two Women Jailed for €22,000 Burglary Using Master Key and 'Flipper' Device
Two women have been sentenced for their roles in a commercial burglary involving high-value stolen goods. The pair, both members of the Roma and Sinti communities, targeted an unlocked apartment in February, making off with items worth at least €22,000. Their trial concluded with prison terms, though one received a partially suspended sentence.
The crime took place on February 24, when the women entered an apartment using a master key and a 'flipper' device. They stole jewellery and other valuables before hiding the loot in a budget Airbnb rental. Police later recovered the items and returned them to the owners.
The defendants, a 37-year-old Croatian woman and a 45-year-old Romanian woman, had no formal education. The younger woman, with four prior convictions for similar offences across Europe, received the harsher penalty. She was sentenced to two years in prison without parole. Her accomplice, who had no previous record, was given a 15-month term, with 10 months suspended. Both were tried for commercial burglary, a charge reflecting the scale and planning behind the theft.
The court’s decision means the 37-year-old will serve her full sentence behind bars. The 45-year-old, however, will only face five months in custody unless she commits further offences. The case highlights the use of specialised tools in residential burglaries and the challenges of tracking repeat offenders across borders.
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