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Augsburg Cathedral: Serious allegations against former assistant in the choir

Photo: Alexander Rochau / IMAGO

A former employee of the Augsburger Domsingknaben is suspected of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy in his apartment. The 26-year-old is also said to have possessed child pornography material and to have violated the privacy and personal rights of choir members by filming them in the shower and on the toilet.

Note from abroad

As the Bamberg Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Wednesday, it has brought charges against the man before the youth jury court of the Augsburg district court. The court must now decide whether to admit the charges and open the main proceedings.

Following a tip from abroad, the police and public prosecutor's office investigated the man, who now lives in Dresden. At the end of September 2020, several computers and smartphones, some of which were encrypted, were seized during a search of the accused's apartment in Augsburg.

Crime scenes clearly identified

Images of male children and young people in showers or toilets were discovered on the devices. The premises could be linked to his previous job with the Augsburger Domsingknaben. As a result, extensive attempts were made to identify these people and then interview them as witnesses. In nine cases, the times and places of the crime were identified so clearly that it was enough to bring charges.

Around 350 boys and men between the ages of five and 25 sing in the cathedral choir at the High Cathedral in Augsburg. They give concerts at home and abroad. The choir is subordinate to the Catholic Diocese of Augsburg.

ala/dpa