Procedures or methods - Kidnapping and Rape: Commencement of the Court Proceedings
A man in black enters the court, his face hidden behind a file folder as photographers and cameras are present. He later sits silently next to his lawyer during the trial. He's facing charges for taking hostages, raping two women, causing harm, and violating the Protection Against Violence Act. The prosecutor's office brings up 11 charges against him.
The alleged incident took place in September 2023, accusing the man of abducting a 29-year-old woman from Rendsburg and holding her hostage at a site in Kiel-Holtenau. The prosecution alleges rape and bodily harm took place during the hostage situation. After a thorough search by special police forces, the woman was found in an abandoned hangar building of the former Naval Air Wing 5 in Holtenau. The accused has been in custody since September 13, 2023.
The first day of the trial, Judge Stephan Worpenberg and the Criminal Chamber faced a question on whether the hearing should be public. Defense attorney Urs-Erdmann Pause called for the public's exclusion since the main hearing was about serious sexual offenses. Victims who have experienced trauma need protection, he asserted. He suggests prioritizing this need for protection over public information. Following brief deliberation, the court agreed, deciding that public discussion of the sexual offenses would infringe upon the victim's protected interests. However, only parts of the indictment were read out loud in public while the rest of the main hearing remained hidden from the public.
During the reading of the indictment by senior public prosecutor Michael Bimler, the audience was asked to leave the court when the sexual offenses were being discussed. The public got a glimpse of the horrific actions the accused allegedly committed, including humiliating his victim and threatening him with a knife, causing physical injuries, and beating him in various ways.
On September 12, it's said that the accused left the MFG-5 facility to receive food. In that moment, the 29-year-old woman barricaded herself in a container and made an emergency call, which enabled the police to locate and release the woman. This case received significant attention in September 2023, not just from the police but also from the state parliament's Committee on Internal Affairs and Legal Affairs.
The trial will continue on May 2 in a closed session. A total of 10 trial days are scheduled. A verdict could potentially be reached on July 5.
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Source: www.stern.de
