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Münster (dpa) - In the case of abuse in Münster, an expert revealed weaknesses in the youth welfare office's handling of early allegations against one of the key figures in the affair, Adrian V.
"The youth welfare office has documented its doubts, but the doubts and irritations have not been investigated more intensively, either to reject them or to confirm them," the city quoted the expert Prof. Dr.
Christian scrapers.
"Today one would certainly do a lot differently."
Adrian V., a 27-year-old IT man from Münster, is considered a key figure in one of the biggest cases of serious abuse in recent years: He is the one who is accused of most of the crimes, and he should keep giving his foster son to other men left for worst acts of violence.
He was known to the youth welfare office in Münster long before the crime was discovered.
As early as 2014, the public prosecutor's office informed the municipal social service of the city of Münster about an indictment against Adrian V for possession of child pornographic material.
The youth welfare office therefore had to clarify whether the then five-year-old was at risk.
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"With today's knowledge, the victims could have been better protected," stressed Schrapper.
The work of the youth welfare office of the city of Münster could not be measured against today's, but had to be measured against the guidelines applicable at the time and the procedures customary in Münster at that time.
"According to this standard, weaknesses are clearly recognizable in the work of the youth welfare office of the city of Münster in the case complex around the alleged main perpetrator Adrian V, but overall the specialists acted competently and carefully - even if they could not protect the boy with it", the city quoted the appraiser.
The mother and partner of Adrian V. had given the youth welfare office as well as the family court the impression that she was aware of her duties of protection and care for her son and that she could fulfill them, the expert reported.
That the mother could have covered abuse of her own child was not an obvious suspicion for the youth welfare office at the time.
Nevertheless, according to Schrapper, the youth welfare office should have insisted on direct contact with her son, even against the mother's will, and should have obtained more detailed information about the woman's life situation.
Schrapper had been commissioned by the city of Munster to review their approach to dealing with Adrian V, his partner and their son.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210204-99-307124 / 2