The collapse of a motorway bridge in Lower Franconia, the resumption of the “bathtub murder”, the processing of two medical scandals from Swabia: the courts in Bavaria are busy with a whole series of important processes in the new year. An overview.
Medicine scandals: Two of the biggest medical scandals in Bavaria in recent years are expected to be heard at the Augsburg district court in 2023. According to the court, a hospital doctor who is said to have infected 51 patients with hepatitis C could be on trial from mid-April. At the end of 2018, the case had caused uncertainty among thousands of patients at the clinic in Donauwörth in northern Swabia. In May, the trial against a vaccination-critical family doctor who is said to have given at least 176 patients fake corona vaccinations could also begin. Both cases resulted in extensive investigations by public prosecutors, the criminal police and the health department. In particular, the hepatitis scandal drew ever larger circles. Ultimately, more than 1,700 of the accused doctor’s patients were asked to be tested for hepatitis C because it could not be ruled out that the anesthetist had infected them.
Motorway bridge: More than six years after the deadly collapse of a shoring during the construction of a motorway bridge in Lower Franconia, those responsible have to appear in court again. A test engineer is charged with negligent homicide and 14 counts of negligent bodily harm. At the new trial on March 13th at the Schweinfurt district court for the legal processing of the accident near Werneck (Schweinfurt district), there are now a total of four accused. On June 15, 2016, parts of the Schraudenbach Viaduct of Autobahn 7, which was under construction, collapsed. A number of construction workers were torn more than 20 meters down. A 38-year-old father of two died. 14 other people were injured. In 2019, the procedure was suspended due to discrepancies with expert opinions. Two engineers who have also been charged and a structural engineer have so far denied the allegations.
Abuse scandal: What blame do high-ranking church officials have for covering up abuse cases? The district court in Traunstein is dealing with this major issue. A man who claims to have been abused by a priest in Garching an der Alz who already had a criminal record at the time has sued this priest, the responsible Archdiocese of Munich and Freising – and the retired Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was archbishop when the man from North Rhine-Westphalia was transferred to Bavaria. Even after Benedict’s death, the case against him continues – at least for the time being, as a court spokeswoman said. However, his lawyers can request an adjournment until it is clear who Ratzinger’s heirs are. The lawsuit would then be directed against them in the future. Before Ratzinger’s death, the court had proposed March 28 as the date for a hearing. However, this was not yet determined – and could now be postponed anyway after the death of the emeritus pope.
Alleged double murder by Mistelbach: The 17-year-old daughter and her 19-year-old boyfriend are said to be responsible for the death of a couple from Mistelbach in the Bayreuth district. They are said to have planned a murder in early January 2022. The 19-year-old is said to have stabbed. The public prosecutor’s office named hatred and strife in the family as the motive. Hearings are being held at the Bayreuth Regional Court behind closed doors; listeners and journalists are only allowed back in at the verdict. A verdict is not expected before January 19, according to the court.
“Bathtub Killer”: After 4,912 days in prison, Manfred G., convicted of being a “bathtub killer”, was released in August 2022. This year, the ordered retrial of the case before the court will come. A date for this has not yet been set. The reason for the release: serious doubts that he actually committed the murder for which he was convicted more than 13 years ago. The Munich II Regional Court sentenced the man to life imprisonment in 2010 because, according to the chamber responsible at the time, he drowned an 87-year-old resident of the house in Rottach-Egern where he worked as a caretaker in the bathtub in October 2008. Reports suggest, however, that it may have been an accident by the old woman. After his defense attorney at the time lodged an appeal, a guilty verdict was also reached in a second trial. The judgment has been final since 2012.