29. 07. 10. - 15:00

Doctor jailed for stealing from patients

A doctor has been jailed for three years for stealing cash and valuables worth half a million Euros from patients’ homes during their hospitalisation.

Judges in Vienna heard yesterday (Weds) how the 37-year-old - not named for legal reasons -- obtained information about elderly patients to raid their homes while they received treatment at the clinic he was working at.

Prosecutors said the medic could have made around 500,000 Euros in the 27 burglaries, while lawyer Nikolaus Rast explained that his client turned to crime trying to cover his debts caused by a gambling habit.

One victim of the man – a 96-year-old seriously ill woman – said in court: "All my savings were stolen. He took it all. I planned to spend it to have a decent funeral and to give the rest to my grandchildren. Now I depend on social benefits."

This scandal comes on the heels of a Salzburg anti-fraud police official found embezzling 70,000 Euros from a pensioner who got in touch with police after being cheated by a fake mail order scam.