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CRIME

Two sentenced over death of plastic surgeon

A court in Nuremberg on Wednesday sentenced two men for causing the death of Nuremberg plastic surgeon Franz Gsell almost 12 years after they broke into and robbed his house.

Two sentenced over death of plastic surgeon
Franz Gsell with his wife Tatjana. Photo: DPA

The pair, who pleaded guilty to the robbery but denied hurting Gsell, were found guilty of causing his death and each sentenced to eleven years of prison.

In January 2003, they broke into Gsell's villa with axes and injured the 76-year-old so badly that he died soon afterwards, presiding judge Gerhard Neuhof found.

"By thoughtlessly employing violence the accused brought about the death of their victim," Neuhof said.

In the judgement, the court found that the men had planned to attack Gsell from the beginning.

They struck him several times with their fists and with the axes so that they would be undisturbed while looting the property.

The judges rejected the men's claims not to have hurt the doctor, saying that he himself gave a believable description of their behaviour shortly afterwards.

Wife planned car insurance fraud

Also mentioned in the judgement were Gsell's widow Tatjana, two car smugglers and a former state prosecutor.

Investigators believe that the robbery was linked to a plan by this group to steal Gsell's limousine and claim the insurance payout.

"There was certainly a plan and relevant conversations around car smuggling," Neuhof said.

While it is unknown how far the group had progressed with their plan, the court determined that none of them was guilty of involvement in Gsell's fatal wounding.

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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