The woman herself or her male accomplice would ask their victims for help, often in the street or in supermarket parking lots. However, only the woman is on trial, standing accused of defrauding five men and one woman, mostly elderly, of almost €380,000 between 2015 and 2021.
In some victims’ homes, she invited herself in and made herself comfortable. One man, now 90 years old, paid the price. He crossed her path on Rue de l’Alzette in Esch-sur-Alzette and lent her money she asked to help herself and her children. She eventually moved into his Schifflange home, staying there for almost a year.
Things are said to have disappeared on a regular basis, with items allegedly continuing to go missing even after the woman moved out. The victim testified in court last week: “She stole everything, broke everything.” The man said even the blankets on his bed disappeared, leaving him to deal with cold temperatures at night.
More than once, she is said to have stolen money he had just withdrawn from the bank. On one such occasion, she allegedly waited for him behind some trees, before a male accomplice pointed a gun at the 90-year-old man.
Last week, another man whose father is said to have helped the criminal couple testified in court. Neighbours had informed the son how the woman had “crept” into his father’s home. The 80-year-old man quickly distanced himself from his own family as a consequence.
The defendant is said to have told the elderly man that she needed a new kidney. Most likely with the intention to cover her medical costs, he transferred €41,000 to her. Fortunately, the man had the foresight to keep a written record of the transaction.
When the son went to visit his father following a trip abroad, he found him lying unconscious in bed. Despite being transferred to hospital, the old man never regained consciousness, and passed away a week later.
“Do you consider her almost the murderer of your father?”, the judge asked last week. “Yes”, the man replied. He is convinced that all the hassle caused by the defendant led to his father’s death.
The trial will continue with new witness testimony on Monday.
