Three car thieves who stole a van in Germany and drove it across the border to Poland received the shock of their lives when they checked the cargo it had been transporting. The van contained twelve corpses being taken to a crematorium.
The three were found guilty of stealing the vehicle in October from a suburb in Berlin. The 12 bodies, in their coffins, were discovered more than a week later in a wooded area near Poznan, Poland.
The three men, aged between 23 and 27, contested the verdict, saying that they had been hired to transport cars across the border without knowing they were moving stolen vehicles. A polish court sentenced them to between two and four years in prison each. The sentences all related to the auto theft and were in line with the sentencing request made by prosecutors. There were no charges related to disturbing bodies. Each man has also been ordered to compensate the funeral home to the tune of 16,000 zloty (about £3,300). They have a week to appeal.
The disappearance of the corpse-filled vehicle hit headlines in both Germany and Poland last year, as relatives of the deceased worried about the final disposition of their loved ones’ remains. The search stretched to the Lithuanian border.
A search is still on for the alleged ringleader of the group. A fifth accomplice, who pleaded guilty, was already serving an 11-month sentence.
