It was just after 5 p.m. Thursday when the verdict was pronounced. One of the four victims, a 16-year-old woman who the accused is said to have violated in the summer of 2020, appeared in court as one of the joint plaintiffs for the verdict, and shortly before she cried. The process was a great burden for her and the other three. Well, after two days, the closed hearing ended. The result: a juvenile sentence of one year and nine months on probation for the 24-year-old former sailor of the Bavarian Yacht Club (BYC) for sexually abusing four underage girls.
In addition to the suspended sentence, he also gets four weeks of permanent arrest
In addition, the Starnberg Juvenile Court sentenced him to four weeks of permanent arrest for sexual assault and coercion and to pay 8,000 euros in damages to two of his victims. The 24-year-old law student also has to undergo therapy for sex offenders. Judge Ralf Jehle also based his decisions on the young man’s age: At the time of the first two crimes, he was also an adolescent, which is why juvenile criminal law was applied.
The accused planned his actions – especially the attacks on two girls in a house in Starnberg in the summer of 2020: the young man sexually harassed a 14 and a 15 year old while they were sleeping. “It was not a spontaneous act,” emphasized Judge Jehle. The accused had caused “serious consequences” with his actions and left a “psychic debris field”. This can be seen, for example, with the then 14-year-old: the teenager has massive problems, it is questionable whether she will ever be able to enter into a relationship. That makes “stunned,” said Jehle. All the victims “blindly trusted” the 24-year-old, who also exploited his position as a successful sailor in the BYC. Some of the victims were also active in the club at the time.
The judge said it was a close decision not to give the young man a prison sentence. The defendant apologized to his victims late and admitted his actions. Jehle emphasized that the girls had clearly signaled that they were not interested in sexual activity with the 24-year-old.
It had been difficult for the victims to accept the apologies as sincere. The court also wondered how much empathy it contained, said Jehle. Regarding the defendant’s personality, the court found that the young man had difficulty accessing his feelings. He suffered from family pressure to perform. However, it should be credited to him positively that he had already undergone psychotherapeutic treatment before the trial.
The public prosecutor’s office is said to have demanded a two-year suspended youth sentence and a four-week permanent arrest. The representation of the co-plaintiff demanded a prison sentence without parole. The victim’s attorney had requested that further witnesses be heard. But that was rejected. Nevertheless, the verdict was well founded and “more than a lesson,” he said. The two defenders of the accused spoke of a fair trial. It is not yet clear whether they will accept the verdict.
The accused was considered a friendly protector
Relatives of the underage victims describe the accused as friendly and polite. The victim’s father reported that he saw the 24-year-old more as a protector than as a danger to his daughter, who was 14 at the time of the crime. The accused was often at the family’s house, maintained a nice tone, but also seemed a little uptight.
The older sister of the then 14-year-old also testified in court. The 21-year-old student took part in a sailing camp in Spain in 2018. There the accused is said to have raped her then 16-year-old sailing friend in a hotel room. However, the court acquitted the accused of this charge. The deed could not be proven beyond a doubt, so the reasoning. According to reports, the accused and this victim have agreed on a perpetrator-victim compensation of 8,000 euros.
The mother of the then 15-year-old victim also confirmed the positive image of the accused. She was horrified when she found out about the allegations, the Starnberg resident said. Her son, the 15-year-old’s brother, was a sailing mate of the accused. The worst thing for her was how the young man abused the trust of girls and parents, she said after the verdict. The accused also often visited her Starnberg house. When he spent the night there in the summer of 2020 after a Wednesday regatta, the 14- and 15-year-old girls were attacked. Shortly thereafter, the 14-year-old revealed herself to her father, who filed a criminal complaint. According to SZ information, there should still be an advertisement for a young sailor. So it’s still being investigated.