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Photo: Arne Dedert / dpa
The Baden-Baden public prosecutor's office has closed the investigation against an educator from Rastatt on suspicion of child sexual abuse.
There are no indications of criminal misconduct on the part of the man, the authority announced on Monday.
During the month-long investigation, numerous witnesses were questioned and 30 children were questioned in the presence of experts;
however, no sufficient suspicion was found.
The educator came under suspicion in the middle of last year after reports from parents and was arrested in late summer 2020.
A child is said to have confided in his mother at the time.
In the questioning of the children, however, it quickly emerged "that no sex-related acts were described," said the public prosecutor.
"Fantasy events portrayed"
One child stated that they lied when questioned by the police.
Others, "as is not unusual with children," described fantasy events and told of events that did not even exist.
In addition, according to the public prosecutor, there were "suggestive testimony conditions" for all children.
The starting point was the first advertisement and the "numerous conversations between parents and their kindergarten children based on it."
Investigative authorities and experts could no longer reliably understand which statements made by the children were due to an actual experience as a result of the parents' specifications.
Further "very intensive" investigations and the evaluation of digital storage media would not have revealed any indications of child abuse.
ala / AFP