Municipal court sentences bank robber to eight years in prison

The Prague Municipal court has sentenced a 52-year-old man, Petr Krstev, to eight years in prison for holding up a Prague bank last December. In the incident, the man took two women hostage at gun point (using a gas-powered pistol), and demanded three million crowns and an escape vehicle. He was brought down by members of the police’s rapid-response force, who had surrounded the building; no one was hurt in the incident. The defendant had said he was forced to take the drastic step at the mercy of blackmailers. The state prosecutor asked for the eight-year sentence, midway between the possible five-to-twelve; the man can still appeal.

Author: Jan Velinger