crime
Kidnapping of girls: Suspect is sex offender
A man is said to have kidnapped a girl on the way to school and sexually abused her (symbolic image). photo
© Stefan Sauer/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
A sex offender is released, and the authorities see a risk of further crimes. The man is also monitored “intensively”. And yet he is now said to have kidnapped and abused a girl.
A convicted sex offender is released from prison and is under surveillance by the authorities – but only around two months later he is supposed to be in the Palatinate Edenkoben abducted and allegedly abused a ten-year-old on her way to school on Monday. There is disbelief in the city – and criticism of the actions of the judiciary and authorities is loud.
The 61-year-old suspect was only released from prison in July. However, he served the prison sentence for violations of management supervision, as the public prosecutor’s office and the Frankenthal (Palatinate) police announced. Since then there have been “intensive control measures”.
Because of his previous history and previous psychological reports, there was a “risk of re-offending.” Since his dismissal, there have been three cases in which the 61-year-old allegedly violated the instructions of his supervisory authority.
New charges and arrest warrant still on the way
The public prosecutor’s office therefore filed charges on September 8th and requested an arrest warrant due to the risk of escape and concealment. The public prosecutor’s indictment was completed on the same day, said Hubert Ströber, senior public prosecutor at the Frankenthal public prosecutor’s office. This must be sent by post to the responsible court and then checked there before an arrest warrant can be executed.
So far, no file has been received from the Frankenthal public prosecutor’s office containing an indictment with an arrest warrant against the Edenkoben suspect, the Neustadt district court confirmed on Wednesday when asked by the German Press Agency. No processing is possible before the file is received.
Suspect with a long criminal record
Three days after applying for the arrest warrant, on Monday, the 61-year-old is said to have pulled the ten-year-old into his car on the way to school and sexually abused the girl.
After a chase with several accidents, police arrested the man – he is now in custody. According to investigators, the ten-year-old was found in the back seat of the vehicle. How exactly the man was able to kidnap her is still being determined.
The public prosecutor’s statement states that the man last committed sexual offenses in 2008 and was sentenced to several years in prison in 1996 and 2008. In 2012 the man was released and placed under so-called managerial supervision. According to the public prosecutor’s office, this is “an instrument to ensure a certain level of supervision and control of the convicted person.”
Putting on an ankle bracelet under duress is “not legally possible”
In 2020, the 61-year-old was sentenced to another prison sentence for multiple violations of management supervision. After serving his sentence, he was released from prison on July 14th of this year – again under supervision. “Further detention or other accommodation was not possible by law,” said the public prosecutor’s office.
Since then, a large number of measures have been taken: there have been approaches to those at risk as well as contact and residence bans, an investigative group has been founded and a tip line has been set up for citizens.
The public prosecutor’s office applied for an electronic ankle bracelet, which was approved after a complaint. However, the 61-year-old refused to have the ankle bracelet put on. “Investing under duress is not legally possible and has therefore not been possible so far,” wrote the public prosecutor’s office.
After weighing up the interests of the general public against the personal rights of the suspect, the public was not informed. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the requirements for information were “unfortunately not met in this case.”