Assaults on women - A 26-year-old woman is surprised by the knocking - arrest
A 26-year-old woman was robbed in her house in Beuren, Esslingen district, by a man who had rung her bell before. After she opened the door, he is said to have attacked her physically in the stairwell and demanded sexual acts from her, according to the police. She managed to resist fiercely and escape from the building. Neighbors alerted the police after the incident on Thursday evening, during which the 26-year-old woman sustained minor injuries.
A 52-year-old suspect was arrested on Friday afternoon in the city area of Beuren, according to further information. He is to be presented to the remand judge in Stuttgart on Saturday at the request of the public prosecutor. The man is also suspected of having attacked a 14-year-old girl on the previous Tuesday. She was attacked by an unknown man on a path between the thermal baths and Karlstraße.
- There were concerns that the police's actions in the case might be seen as an overreach, as the alleged attacks involved only two incidents, one against a woman and another against a teenage girl.
- Ms. Schmidt, a local women's rights activist, criticized the police for focusing too much on criminality in Esslingen, particularly against women, and not enough on preventive measures.
- In response to the criticism, the police chief of Baden-Württemberg assured the public that they were taking the case seriously and that the arrest was a necessary step to ensure the safety of women and girls in the city.
- The arrested suspect, a 52-year-old man, was known to the authorities for prior criminal offenses, but the police had not been able to establish a connection to the recent attacks in Esslingen until the arrest on Friday.
