GERMANY: German war criminal, 91, fined for robbery

. RECKLINGHAUSEN, Germany (The Earth Times - DPA), October 1, 2008 An elderly convicted German war criminal was fined 1,600 euros (2,300 dollars) by a court Wednesday for a hold-up at a Belgian pharmacy. The man, who had been paroled after 22 years in prison for murdering six Jews in Gorlice, Poland during World War II, said he pointed a toy gun at a shop-owner in Eupen, Belgium as a protest against his 1968 conviction. The 91-year-old former member of the SS admitted the wartime murders but claimed his sentence was unfair because he had just been following orders. Fining him for threatening behaviour, a court in Recklinghausen, Germany refused his request to re-open the war crimes case. The accused pointed a toy gun at a pharmacist last year and demanded money, but then left the shop empty-anded. © 2008 www.earthtimes.org