Status: 06.12.2022 11:07 a.m
The trial against a 45-year-old in the “Wermelskirchen abuse complex” begins today before the Cologne district court. He is accused, among other things, of sexualized violence against children in 99 cases. His lawyer announced a confession.
Before the district court Cologne The trial against a 45-year-old man from the town of Wermelskirchen begins on Tuesday. He is said to have offered himself as a babysitter online – and committed sexualized violence to children.
A special task force arrested the accused a year ago. The man was in his home in Wermelskirchen and was in a video booth with colleagues. When the armed men pulled the suspect away from his computer, the colleagues thought it was a robbery. However, it was the access that ended a 14-year streak of sexualized violence against children.
Chief of Police: “The extent of brutality is unimaginable”
The investigations against the man were complex. The police seized millions of photos and videos. At a press conference at the end of May in the Cologne police headquarters, the investigators informed the public. Police President Falk Schnabel and Chief Public Prosecutor Joachim Roth made their dismay clear with their personal words on this case.
“I have never encountered such a degree of brutality and indifference towards children, their pain and their fear, and I could not have imagined it,” said police chief Schnabel.
The public prosecutor accuses the accused of 124 acts. In 99 cases it was about allegations of sexualized violence against children. Others revolved around, among other things, aiding and abetting sexualized violence or child pornography.
Youngest victim apparently not even a year old
The youngest victim is said to have been eleven months old. According to the indictment, two of the children are mentally handicapped. Investigators dubbed the case “List” — a suggestion that the defendant apparently kept meticulous records of every act of abuse.
This also means that you can now name more suspects. The man’s defense attorneys have said from the beginning that their client helped to clarify the matter. A full confession has been announced for the second day of the trial. It is unclear whether this will lead to a reduction in sentence in court. The public prosecutor’s office has already announced preventive detention for the man. He has a penchant for crime and is dangerous to the general public.
case caused a stir
The uncovering of the case caused a stir because – similar to other abuse complexes in recent years such as in Bergisch Gladbach – it led to numerous further investigations against other suspects.
The local time from Cologne also reports on this topic on radio on WDR2 on December 6th, 2022.
Source: wdr.de