Process - Six years in prison for child abuse without physical contact
On Thursday, the Cologne Regional Court sentenced a 51-year-old man to six years in prison in a case of so-called cyber grooming. The guilty verdict was handed down for, among other things, rape combined with sexual child abuse without physical contact. "You are a dangerous sex offender," the judge said to the 51-year-old during the sentencing hearing. The defendant, who had already been sentenced to two years' probation in 2016 for similar cases, had fully admitted to the allegations.
The court was convinced that he had coerced girls between the ages of 13 and 16 to send him nude images in internet chats on 24 occasions between June 2021 and January 2023. The accused sometimes posed as a girl of the same age, sometimes as a boy of the same age. He used cell phones to make contact, which he had registered under false personal details. "They acted with great criminal energy," the court found.
Once the 51-year-old came into possession of nude photos of his victims, he "put the girls under increasing pressure" and coerced them into taking pictures or videos of themselves while they performed sexual acts on themselves. Since in some cases the accused forced the girls to perform sexual acts on themselves against their express will, which involved penetrating their bodies, the court classified these cases as rape. However, the accused was less interested in satisfying paedo-sexual inclinations than in "playing power games" with his victims.
In one particularly serious case, the accused pretended to be "15-year-old Kevin" to a 13-year-old girl and put her under pressure almost every day for three weeks and persuaded her to perform increasingly extensive sexual acts, which she was supposed to film or photograph. The case was uncovered by the girl's brother, who appeared as a co-plaintiff in the trial. The boy had accidentally read a message from the accused and then informed the parents, who in turn informed the police.
The verdict is not final; an appeal can be lodged with the Federal Court of Justice.
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- The case of sexual child abuse in North Rhine-Westphalia, involving a 51-year-old man who used digital platforms to coerce underage girls into sending explicit content, has led to a six-year prison sentence at the Cologne Regional Court.
- The regional court deemed the prevalence of child abuse cases in North Rhine-Westphalia, such as the one mentioned above, as a serious issue circulating within the region's criminality processes, emphasizing the need for increased scrutiny and stricter sentencing.
- In light of the growing concern for child abuse and cyber grooming in North Rhine-Westphalia, regional courts like the one in Cologne are taking a more proactive approach in handling criminal cases that involve rape and sexual exploitation of minors, implementing harsher penalties and leading the way in the protection of children from such predators.
Source: www.stern.de
