A seven-year-old boy in Germany is being portrayed as a junior Robin Hood after he stole from his grandmother’s bank account and lavished sweets, presents and money on his young friends.
Police in the western city of Aachen explained that the unnamed youngster had learnt how to use a cash machine – and to memorise a PIN – by accompanying his 80-year-old grandmother on shopping trips. On one such trip he swiped his granny’s card and made his way to a nearby ATM. He made five withdrawals over the course of an hour until the card’s limit of 500€ (£400) was reached.
Over the next few days he found himself the most popular boy in his area as he showered classmates with sweets. Later he started handing out money to his astonished - but grateful – friends.
It was when his friends showed their new-found wealth to their parents that police became involved. Even then the boy evaded detection as police didn’t know his last name. But when a credit institution notified police about the unusual series of withdrawals the authorities were able to trace the card owner and thus also her grandson.
Once questioned the boy immediately confessed and apologised to his grandmother. He showed police his piggy bank where approximately half the cash remained as well as some money given to him by his granny for a good school report.
Police said the boy told them he ‘wanted to get money out of the machine and go shopping just like his grandmother’ and that he gave away much of the money because when his granny did that people ‘were always so happy.’
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