The district court of Bielefeld has sentenced a physiotherapist for sexual assault on several girls in his practice. It imposed a prison sentence of two years and nine months. In addition, the man may no longer treat minors after the detention.
The 61-year-old had repeatedly made photos of his underage patients according to the court and abused some of them by sexual touches in the genital area. He also collected thousands of child pornographic photos over the years.
The public prosecutor's office demanded a higher prison sentence at the age of four. In many of the more than 40 indicted cases, however, had not been clearly proven to be punishable behavior, it was said by the court. A particular difficulty in the process was to separate sexual acts from therapeutic ones.
In the process, the physiotherapist had admitted to taking pictures of some of his patients and also confirmed a pedophilia. However, he denied the allegation of sexual abuse.