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Accused in the courtroom of the district court of Cologne
Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa
The allegations extend over several years: Between 2011 and 2014, a former coach and youth director of a Cologne swimming club is said to have abused two of his wards several times.
According to the indictment, sexual acts took place at a weekend camp on a campsite in the south of Cologne, in the defendant's apartment and at a swimming seminar in a sports conference center in Sauerland.
At the start of the trial at the Cologne Regional Court, the 38-year-old partially admitted the allegations.
The defendant said he was ashamed.
He didn't think about the boys' ages: "Unfortunately, the children don't have their ages tattooed on their foreheads," said the 38-year-old.
However, he assumed that the brothers were older than 14 at the respective incidents.
Victims under the age of 14 are children in the legal sense.
Their sexual abuse is punished more severely than that of young people.
Those affected are two brothers, born in 1998 and 1999.
According to his own statement, the trainer, who works as an IT technician, was a member of the swimming club from 1986 to 2020 and was involved in various functions there.
"Talks about sexuality" probably preceded the alleged assaults
According to the accused, the attacks came after discussions about sexuality.
The two boys who appear as joint plaintiffs in the process "voluntarily" interacted with him sexually.
On the next day of the hearing, those affected are to testify in a closed session.
The trial is scheduled for another three days of negotiations, and a verdict is expected in early May.
fek/dpa
