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Defendant in court: Daniel T. made a confession at the start of the trial

Photo: Daniel Vogl/dpa

In the case of a girl who was killed in a children's home in Upper Franconia, the boy who is said to have killed the girl has made serious allegations against the man who is on trial for raping the ten-year-old. The now twelve-year-old cannot be prosecuted because of his age - he now testified as a witness in the court proceedings.

According to his lawyer, the boy stated that 26-year-old Daniel T., who was accused of rape, had urged him to kill the girl. The reason the man told the boy was that the girl recognized them both, said lawyer Michael Hasslacher to the dpa news agency.

Twelve-year-old admits killing girl

The boy's statement contradicts the defendant's statements. At the start of the trial, the man's defense attorney read out a statement saying that T. had never wanted the girl's death - and had not asked the boy to kill her either. However, the defendant admitted to raping the girl and breaking into the home.

According to lawyer Hasslacher, the twelve-year-old admitted that he had killed the girl during his testimony before the Hof regional court in camera. According to the boy, T. was still present at the beginning of the crime, said Hasslacher.

When asked by the dpa, a court spokesman did not want to provide any information, citing the exclusion of the public. The 26-year-old's defense attorney has not yet been available for comment.

The ten-year-old was found dead in a room at the children's home in Wunsiedel on the morning of April 4, 2023. Police investigations came to the conclusion that the then eleven-year-old killed the girl during an argument that night. The defendant is said to have previously broken into the home and raped the girl. The public prosecutor also accuses the man of several other burglaries.

In the statement read out at the start of the trial, the defendant largely admitted the crimes he was accused of - this did not include killing the girl. He also stated that he had fled the home after raping the child.

The boy is also considered a victim in the trial - because of the sexual acts that T. is said to have carried out in his presence. They are considered “sexual abuse of children without physical contact.”

bbr/dpa