Czech Citizen Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Stealing a Vibrator

A regional court in the Czech town of Novy Jičin has sentenced a man referred to as Lubomir S to two years in prison for stealing a vibrator worth 499 CZK.

According to iDNES.cz, such a harsh verdict was delivered because the crime was committed during the state of emergency, a time where liability for committing crimes is greatly increased.

In normal times, the 33-year-old man would face a maximum of three years for stealing a sex toy. However, the state of emergency raised the maximum punishment to eight years in prison.

Prosecutor Magda Dobrovolná addressed the court: “The defendant took the vibrator from the shelf and hid it under his jacket. At the checkout, he paid only for other small purchases. He knew that he was committing theft and knew that there was a state of emergency in the country.”

The court’s decision was also influenced by the criminal history of Lubomir S. He has been previously bought to justice 23 times, mainly for property crimes.

The defence did not agree with the verdict. The lawyer argued that the threat of real prison time is excessive since the theft of a vibrator – even during a state of emergency – does not pose any threat to society.

According to the judge, his decision was based on the motivation for the theft. “If the defendant had stolen for the first time or his act was motivated by hunger, we could consider a lighter punishment,” he continued. “However, every time he promises that he will no longer steal, it regularly happened again,”

The verdict did not come into legal force. The defense side can now appeal against it.