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District Court of Munich
Photo: Sven Hoppe/ DPA
A former Bavarian police officer is said to have made several misdemeanors on duty, and the man has now admitted some of the allegations.
Before the Munich district court, he admitted to having shown the Hitler salute in a beer garden in 2018.
"My client cannot explain the development of his misconduct," said the ex-policeman's lawyer.
"He deeply regrets that." The public prosecutor's office accuses him, among other things, of using the symbols of unconstitutional organizations.
The accused had resigned from his job in the summer of 2021 after investigations against him had begun.
During the trial, the former officer also admitted, through his lawyer, to having sent photos of a handcuffed prisoner wearing only his underwear via mobile phone in 2017.
He had written an insulting comment that referred to the black skin color of the prisoner.
The accused now works as a fitness trainer
The allegations against the Munich native, who was born in Munich in 1989 and now works as a fitness trainer, came to light as part of the police investigation into the drug scandal.
He is also accused of drug possession in the context.
Since the beginning of 2017, he has had "regular use of narcotics, specifically cocaine and cannabis," according to a criminal order against him that the public prosecutor read.
The trial comes because the former police officer has appealed parts of this criminal order that related to details of the drug-related offences.
He did not dispute the other points – such as showing the Hitler salute in 2018.
The allegations against the accused are not isolated.
The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) investigated twelve cases last year on suspicion of incitement to hatred or the use of license plates by unconstitutional organizations against police officers.
Several preliminary investigations on suspicion of incitement to hatred
In the current year, according to an LKA spokeswoman, investigations into suspicion of sedition are being carried out "currently in a low single-digit range".
In total, the Bavarian LKA investigated 1,500 cases of various crimes against police officers last year.
fek/dpa