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Convicted Lippoth in the courtroom: "Highly manipulative"
Photo: Thomas Banneyer / dpa
One of the formerly most renowned child photographers of the present day has been convicted of serious sexual abuse of children.
According to the Cologne Regional Court, Achim Lippoth should go to prison for four years and ten months.
From the court's point of view, it has been proven that Lippoth molested three children in four counts.
He was acquitted in the remaining twelve accused cases involving three other children.
Lippoth had always denied the crimes.
The accused were acts from spring 1999 to June 2021. The victims were child photo models.
According to the verdict, the defendant acted "highly manipulative" and deliberately sought contact with prepubescent boys.
He went on trips with them in his car, visited leisure pools or played Playstation in his apartment.
"All this to physically approach the children," the court declared.
Lippoth had remained silent during the trial, but had the allegations against his defense attorneys disputed.
They had repeatedly spoken of a "conspiracy" against their client.
When it came to the verdict, the chamber clearly contradicted it: "There was no conspiracy."
Campaign against child abuse photographed
The 53-year-old was one of the most renowned children's photographers ever.
Lippoth photographed advertising campaigns for several large companies, as well as for the media, including SPIEGEL and Zeit Magazin, which exposed the allegations.
His pictures won five lions at the world's most important advertising festival in Cannes, and the children's fashion magazine "Kid's Wear" he founded received several industry awards.
Often he seemed to reflect on the roles of children and parents.
Lippoth also photographed an anti-sexual abuse campaign for the NGO Innocence in Danger.
The verdict is not yet legally binding.
The defense attorneys announced that they would appeal.
wit/jpz/dpa