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Defendant F. in the district court of KIel: "The focus was on things that took place in private"
Photo:
Axel Heimken / picture alliance / dpa
During the seven days of the trial, it was not a single time that the defendant's political views were discussed. Why did Klaus-Dieter F. build his personal bunker in his villa in Heikendorf in Schleswig-Holstein? Was not discussed. Why did he collect Nazi art and SS devotional items? Was not up for discussion. The 84-year-old always appeared neatly in a gold button double-breasted suit before the district court in Kiel, appeared attentive and interested - and persistently remained silent on the accusation that he had violated the War Weapons Control Act in several cases.
The seven days of the negotiations concerned the unauthorized possession of the Wehrmacht tank of the brand "Panther" from 1944, an 8.8-centimeter anti-aircraft gun, a torpedo of the G7A type, a mortar type "5 cm grenade launcher 36", machine, Assault rifles and rocket rifles, semi and fully automatic pistols as well as more than 2000 rounds of ammunition and nitrocellulose powder.
And it was about whether the tanks, flak and mortars were still functional.
A quarter of a million for the sick, children and animals
On the eighth day of the trial, F. makes a brief confession.
His defense attorney Gerald Goecke read out a statement on his behalf.
A few hours later the district court sentenced Kiel F. to imprisonment of one year and two months for unauthorized possession of weapons, ammunition and explosives, suspended on probation.
Four months are already considered to have been served due to an unlawful procedural delay.
In addition, the chamber, chaired by Stephan Worpenberg, imposes a monetary requirement of 250,000 euros, of which 50,000 euros go to the state treasury.
F. is to pay 70,000 euros each to the SOS Children's Village and a Kiel hospice, and a further 60,000 euros to a Kiel animal shelter.
The last two recipients are based on F's suggestion.
The verdict is the result of several mutual talks between the court, public prosecutor and defense.
The condition for this was that F. made a confession and undertook to hand over the tanks and anti-aircraft gun to a museum or a suitable collector.
"Not always that easy"
Right up to the end, those involved in the process agreed that the torpedo and mortar were "no longer functional devices," as Richter Worpenberg says.
As for tanks and anti-aircraft guns, opinions differ: For public prosecutor Thorsten Wolke they fall under the War Weapons Control Act, defense and chamber see both weapons as "museum character".
The communication was "not always easy," emphasized F.'s defense attorney Gerald Goecke in his plea.
Sometimes he felt like he was in the "diplomatic service" in order to create legal peace.
He praised the Chamber for how "very pleasant" it had tried to orient itself "strictly on the charge".
The tank was salvaged from the millionaire's crooked estate in July 2015 with a lot of attention and a large contingent of soldiers, the pictures at that time went halfway around the world.
The past six years, the delay in the proceedings, had been an "immense burden" for his client, says lawyer Goecke.
They would have hovered over F. like "a sword of Damocles" and led to an "immense deterioration in his health."
Pure private pleasure?
In addition, the "media support" was "unbearable" for F. and his wife, also because the press did not limit itself to the allegations, but also dealt with "private circumstances", says Goecke. "The focus was on things that took place in private."
That's right.
But at the end of this process it remains completely open what might have happened in the basement of the imposing villa on the Kiel Fjord: Between illuminated SS runes, tables with swastika doilies and more than a hundred mannequins in Nazi uniform and other branches of service.
Was the setting used for silent parties with a single guest?
A kind of "Dinner for One" in which F. acted as a leader?
Did meetings with like-minded people take place in this NS set?
Or is it just a private cellar museum, a collecting fetish that has gotten out of hand?
"Lots of weapons, lots of ammunition"
Prosecutor Cloud announced on the first day of the trial that F's motivation would also have to be "consulted" in this process.
But it stayed with this intention.
As long as F. does not publicly display devotional objects such as the imperial eagle, the bust of Adolf Hitler and the many weapons, he is not liable to prosecution.
Defense attorney Goecke says that F. had nothing else in mind than to acquire all these irritating objects "for collector's purposes".
»F.
is a collector who surrounded himself with his things, but no unauthorized person had access to them. "
Judge Worpenberg does not say a word to the defendant's enthusiasm for the Nazi era. In the grounds for the judgment, however, he certifies F. specialist knowledge. And therefore F. should have known that he was violating the gun law and had to blame himself for this. Despite his old age, his life without punishment, his confession and the length of the proceedings of six years, one thing remains aggravating in this case: "Lots of weapons, lots of ammunition."