Trial of rape in the city park: do eleven defendants get away with it?
Created: 05/09/2022, 15:38
By: Elias Bartl
A party night in summer in the Hamburg Stadtpark (symbol image) © Jonas Walzberg/dpa
The trial of the rape of a young girl in Hamburg's Stadtpark begins on May 10th.
But the evidence is still lacking.
Hamburg – It was a mild summer night in the summer of 2021. Hundreds of young people spent the evening in the Hamburg city park, partied boisterously and drank alcohol.
On the outskirts of this scene, such a terrible act took place that evening, which is difficult even for the investigators to bear.
Eleven young men are said to have raped a 15-year-old girl in the bushes of the city park.
The 15-year-old is said to have experienced an unimaginable ordeal, according to police reports.
After a private birthday party in the city park, the young drunk girl probably lost touch with her group.
In the dark, the 15-year-old staggered through the park when she was said to have been approached by one of the later suspects and pulled into a bush near the fairgrounds.
Up to eleven men aged 17 to 21 are said to have raped the 15-year-old for around two hours before she was able to escape.
As a trophy for the disgusting act, one of the suspects is said to have even recorded a video of the act.
He later stole the girl's purse and wallet.
Read more blue light reports like: Knife attack in the neighborhood: Man critically injured on the Reeperbahn
After the alleged rape in the city park: the hunt for the accused online takes its course
The crime 20 months ago was followed by investigations by the police and public prosecutor.
Pictures, names and addresses of the suspects in the alleged gang rape in the city park were published in Facebook posts and videos.
A public hunt for the suspects on the Internet that can hardly be compared took its course.
In the meantime, 144 criminal proceedings have been initiated in connection with the public call for vigilantism.
Rape in Hamburg: Eleven defendants have to answer in court
On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, the eleven defendants, now aged 18 to 21, will have to answer for the crime in room 300 in the criminal justice building.
The public prosecutor considers the defendants to be the tormentors of the girl.
The prosecution is based on around 40 witness statements and nine DNA traces found.
Thousands of pages of investigative work have been done since then, but there is no clear evidence.
The main task of the court is now to clarify what exactly happened that evening and to find out which part of which defendant contributed to this terrible act.
According to a report by the Hamburger Abendblatt, the public prosecutor's office does not accuse any of the accused of suddenly raping the girl, they presumably did not even act "against the girl's apparent will".
The prosecution refers to the principle that has been in force since 2016: “Only yes means yes”.
But the 15-year-old is said to have been no longer able to give such consent due to her alcohol consumption.
The accused are said to have deliberately exploited this situation.
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Criminal law expert: "I don't think it's unlikely that the accused will not have to serve a prison sentence"
According to an expert in criminal law, however, it is quite unlikely that one of the accused will actually have to be arrested.
For juveniles, there are no predetermined penalties.
According to the expert, the punishment of such young perpetrators depends on the degree of maturity of the accused.
Based on the circumstances of the crime known so far and the lack of evidence from the public prosecutor's office, she does not consider it unlikely that the accused will not have to serve a prison sentence.
