The video blogger Rainer Winkler and his “haters” got into arguments again and again, and not only on the Internet. Now the “Dragon Lord” has been convicted by a court in Nuremberg.
One of the most controversial YouTubers was on trial in Nuremberg on Thursday: “Dragon Lord” Rainer Winkler was accused of offenses such as bodily harm and insult. Now the 32-year-old video blogger has been sentenced to two years in prison. The trial took place under special security precautions in the criminal justice center of the Nuremberg-Fürth regional court.
“This trial is a sad example of the consequences of hatred and bullying on the Internet,” said the judge. She saw it as proven that the 32-year-old had hit a man on the forehead with a flashlight and injured, among other things. He threw a brick at another. He had also insulted police officers.
The prosecutor had previously demanded a prison sentence of two years and six months. The defense pleaded for a suspended sentence of a maximum of two years.
At the beginning of the trial, the defendant had conceded the charge of bodily harm in large parts. In the spring he had turned down a deal. The court had once again given him the prospect of a suspended sentence if he completely gave up his work as an Internet stimulus figure.
Trial of “Dragon Lord”: Surprise at the start
At the start of the process, there was a surprise right from the start. During a conversation between the public prosecutor and the defense, the latter announced: The “dragon lord” had sold his house to the community and wanted to go into hiding.
The meeting had to be temporarily interrupted because the defense had tried to negotiate a suspended sentence due to these “changed living conditions”. The defendant later specified: He did not want to take an apartment and instead go on tour and work while on the move.
In addition, the defender announced: “He will make changes to his Internet activities so that he no longer offers the broad attack surface.” But that was apparently not enough for the prosecutor. The trial continued and witnesses were interviewed.
YouTuber has to go behind bars: Success for “Haider”
Both a voluntary end of Winkler’s YouTube career and a prison sentence can be judged as a success of his “haters” or “Haider”, as they call themselves in Franconian dialect. Behind it are the loose members of a barely manageable community on the Internet, who regularly provoked him mainly for their own entertainment.
Spectators wait for admission before the start of the process in Nuremberg: The process takes place under strict security precautions. (Source: Wienand / t-online)
Only after the attack in Kongsberg, Norway, with five dead, was his photo as that of the alleged perpetrator “Rainer Winklarson” and used by various foreign media.
YouTuber 2019 sentenced to suspended sentence
With the actions on the net and above all in front of his door, this community has kept Winkler freaking out. In 2019 he was sentenced to a nine-month suspended sentence. But he couldn’t prove himself.
Participant in a hate demo against the YouTuber “Drachenlord” (archive photo): The trial against the internet celebrity begins on Thursday. (Source: Oßwald / NEWS5 / dpa)
There were also cases of insult and defamation against police officers charged. Winkler had regularly cursed the local police for giving him what he believed to be the necessary protection mobbing refused. He just wants to pursue his profession, in which he believes he has achieved something, and which is also in the court files: “YouTuber”.
At the same time he went on the offensive against his bullies, who then booked it as an exciting new chapter in the “dragon game”. The annoying disturbers also give him the attention he is looking for as a YouTuber.
Police had to come all the time
He has been haunted by “the Internet” since he once gave his address in a stream: Anyone who wanted something could come by. Daily police operations at Winkler’s dilapidated house have been the rule ever since. Measured by the number of violations of the law, the “Haider” are likely to be far in the lead in the unequal fight against Winkler.
Court prohibits dictaphone pens
As a precaution, the Neustadt court moved to the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg for the trial. This should ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible. It cannot be ruled out that there will be “a not inconsiderable presence” of the relevant group of people, it said.
A larger number of law enforcement officers therefore received additional administrative assistance from the police for the negotiation. The court has also explicitly banned “voice recorders and film glasses built into ballpoint pens” in order to ensure that no film or sound recordings are made secretly. The court saw cause for concern. Such recordings would be a celebration for the “dragon game”.