Berlin: Verdict due for man, 69, accused of drugging and raping women
The Berliner faces charges over 22 offences against 14 women. Prosecutors also want preventive detention. A verdict could come on Wednesday.
Archive image · Photo: Gerd Eichmann / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
A verdict is approaching in the trial of a 69-year-old Berliner accused of drugging, raping and filming numerous women. According to the Tagesspiegel, the Berlin Regional Court could announce its decision on Wednesday, October 14. A rally is planned outside the Moabit criminal court.
The indictment covers 22 cases between 2016 and 2022 involving 14 women, including charges of rape, dangerous bodily harm and violating privacy by taking images. Prosecutors say the man met women via dating platforms and gave them sedative substances, in some cases combined with alcohol. In a statement read out by his lawyer, the defendant admitted the rapes.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence followed by preventive detention. Investigators believe there are far more victims than those covered by the current case, so the defendant may face a second trial.