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The accused former pastor with his lawyer (left) in the Saarbrücken district court
Photo: Becker Bredel / dpa
A former pastor has been sentenced to a suspended sentence of one year and eight months by the Saarbrücken Regional Court for sexually assaulting a minor.
On Thursday, the court saw it as proven that the Catholic clergyman from the Diocese of Trier in 1997 in Freisen, Saarland, had urged a then 14-year-old altar boy to tolerate sexual acts.
The 69-year-old defendant had denied the allegations to the end.
The testimony of the person concerned was "convincing and plausible," said presiding judge Thomas Emanuel in the verdict.
Nothing points to a »vengeance or false incrimination motive«.
In addition, the act fits into the behavior of the priest towards other children, which was determined before and after the event.
The 14-year-old had a "close, trusting relationship" with the pastor.
On the evening of the crime, the accused drank alcohol with the acolyte and then forced him onto a bed, touched him sexually and ignored his request to stop.
The boy finally managed to escape to the bathroom.
Five other suspects testify
The person concerned is still suffering "massively" from the consequences of the crime.
One could speak of a post-traumatic stress disorder – with sleep disorders and fears.
The procedure goes back to a criminal complaint by the Diocese of Trier after the injured party had given information to the archbishop's office in Cologne, the church court.
There have been several allegations against the man for years of sexualized violence from various victims.
Around 20 witnesses testified in the process, including five other alleged victims.
According to the court, the pastor had already been assaulting altar boys since the 1980s, including during holiday camps or on holiday trips.
Those cases were not part of the indictment, but allowed conclusions to be drawn about the man's dealings with children, the judge said.
There had already been several criminal investigations against the priest for allegations of sexualized violence, which the public prosecutor's office had discontinued due to the statute of limitations.
Since May 2016, the bishop of Trier has banned the man from working publicly as a priest.
The defendant heard the verdict without emotion.
The probationary period was set at four years.
In addition, the man has to pay a fine of 2,500 euros to a specialist advice center for sexually abused girls and young women.
kfr/dpa
