Modify the given title or summary using your own terms. Keep any names present. Make sure the rephrased text is of similar length to the original. Do not insert any personal statements. Just reformulate the original text without a preamble like "Here is the rephrased text". - Former church choir worker receives suspended sentence.
A person who used to work for the Augsburg Dom Singers was given a probation sentence of almost two years due to sexually abusing a child and taking secret videos of boys while naked. This happened at the Augsburg District Court. The individual, who was 26 years old, confessed to all the charges at the start of the trial. Because some of the offenses took place when he was under 21 and considered a youth offender, the probation sentence followed the Youthful Offender Act.
The individual had recorded videos of choir members in the toilets and showers. Nine movies were involved in the case. On top of that, he molested a 13-year-old by rubbing himself on the body of the child while the sleeping child was at his home in Munich.
He had previously been an assistant with the prestigious Catholic choir after singing there his own. The abuses took place between 2017 and 2020. Since then, the man, who currently resides in Dresden, has not been working for the choir.
The individual apologized multiple times to his victims, some of whom were witnesses in the courtroom. "The worst thing was the loss of trust," commented Judge Bernhard Kugler in his judgment. The children had looked up to him as a role model because he was an employee of the choir.
The videos were not just filmed in the rooms of the church choir but also in a hotel in Brandenburg when the choir was on a concert tour. The person has been in therapy for over three years and needs to continue it as part of the probation. His lawyer mentioned a "sexual misdirection" on the part of the defendant. The defendant needs to pay the abused boy €2,000 in compensation.
At the start of the trial, the judge, the prosecutor, and the defense attorney had agreed behind closed doors that if the defendant admitted guilt, they would recommend a two-year probation sentence. The defendant was greatly credited for not forcing the victims to testify in court by confessing.
Choir support for the Dom Singers as investigations continue
For the Dom Singers, it is vital that the preliminary investigations are now further clarified through this trial, said Leonhard Fitz, the choir's business manager. In the past, information nights with a police officer have been held for parents. Additionally, preventive training has been offered to the students.
The church choir is the flagship of the Diocese of Augsburg. One of the investigating police officers testified as a witness in the trial, confirming that the responsible people of the choir were very cooperative with the investigations.
