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Berlin (dpa / bb) - A 55-year-old who is said to have abused his stepdaughter for years has shrouded himself in silence in front of the Berlin district court.
The defendant is charged with 40 sexual assaults between August 2010 and February 2018.
The girl was six years old when the first alleged acts were committed, according to the indictment read out at the beginning of the trial on Tuesday.
The defense attorney said that his client would initially not comment on the allegations.
The defendant and mother and daughter are said to have lived in a family since 2009.
The man has taken on educational and care tasks for the child, so the prosecution.
He was often alone with the girl when the mother worked as a nurse on shift work.
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Assaults are said to have occurred in the apartment, in a changing room of a swimming pool and in a camper van during a trip to the North Sea.
The charges are serious sexual abuse of children and abuse of wards.
Five more days of negotiation are planned for the process until April 30th.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210413-99-187120 / 2