Because of the abuse of dozens of girls, the district court of Baden-Baden has sentenced a swimming instructor to twelve years in prison. The chamber considered it proven that the 34-year-old lost to about 40 children - and also ordered preventive detention against the offender.
According to the indictment, the deeds took place in the pool or in the dressing room. An expert attested to the defendant in the process pedophile inclinations and full culpability. The prosecutor's office requested a sentence of 12 years and six months with subsequent preventive detention at the end of the trial. The defense lawyer demanded a lenient sentence with six years imprisonment, also the conditions for a preventive detention were not given.
The youngest victim was only four
The heavy attacks in the district Rastatt, Ortenaukreis, Calw district and in Lörrach and Baden-Baden, the man had filmed in part with an underwater camera, corresponding recordings were made during searches of his apartment.
The 34-year-old was blamed for far more than 100 individual crimes committed between October 2015 and September 2017 - including severe abuse, coercion, assault and massive intimidation of some children. The youngest victim was only four years old.
The defendant admitted the deeds in part on the second day of the trial in a statement read by his lawyer. He also accused his former boss of extorting him and forcing him to commit part of the crime. However, the allegations proved quickly as baseless, the investigation was stopped.
The trial started when the parents of two five-year-olds in the summer of 2017 reported independently to the Rastatt police. There followed extensive investigations. Around 160 swimming lessons given by the defendant for up to 14 children were reviewed and hundreds of parents contacted.