Suspicion of child pornography: 39-year-old acquitted due to lack of evidence

Created: 01/03/2023 08:02

The accused was suspected of distributing child pornography.

© dpa

Through an American organization that aims to uncover cases of child pornography, the police came across a 39-year-old from a community north of Weilheim.

But the man was acquitted.

Wielenbach – After years of waiting, the accused was happy that his case was finally being heard.

He said the allegation that he was distributing child pornography was getting to him.

In March 2018, a 30-second video was sent from his Facebook account showing two boys having sex with a donkey.

Six people with Hungarian usernames had received the ominous video.

For professional reasons, the man often travels abroad, including in Eastern Europe.

However, he could not remember having had any contact with the said persons.

Lawyer expressed the possibility of a hacker attack on the Wielenbacher

He did not deny that the message was sent from his account.

His lawyer made it clear several times that his client had also shown himself to be cooperative with the police and then expressed the possibility of a hacker attack on the Wielenbacher.

According to the defender, such a person could be responsible for the distribution of the video via the 39-year-old's account.

The video was "really disgusting", he said, but it was not a recording of his client and it did not come from his circle of acquaintances, but was a "viral video" that was already known from other processes.

American organization made Kripo aware of the account

The detective called as a witness, who also conducted the search of the accused's apartment, reported that no evidence of child pornography could be found on the confiscated laptop.

Only an old and encrypted hard drive is a mystery.

The defendant knew neither what is on it nor how to unlock it because the password can no longer be found.

(Our Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter keeps you regularly informed about all the important stories from your region. Register here.)

The detectives were made aware of the man's account by a US organization dedicated to uncovering child pornography on the Internet.

Ultimately, nothing more could be determined in this case.

Lawyer demanded acquittal of his client

However, the prosecutor saw the facts as proven.

The video was distributed by said account.

She also said the appearance of the man's current Facebook profile suggested that he might be in contact with people from Hungary.

She asked for a fine.

also read

Dark clouds in the real estate sky - prospective buyers can hope

READ

Family business closes after 111 years - great regret in Peißenberg: "It's a shame"

READ

The Welscher family has the Schäffler gene

READ

From the State Horticultural Show to the Roche expansion: “These are all signposts for the future”

READ

The TV comeback of the Weilheim betting king: the old broom number is still going strong

READ

Fancy a journey of discovery?

My space

The lawyer of the accused 39-year-old all seemed too vague.

In his view, "everything is just based on speculation".

The IP address that matches his Facebook page simply proves the account and not that the defendant shared the video himself, he emphasized.

This would not be enough for a conviction.

He demanded that his client be acquitted.

It ended up being that way due to a lack of evidence.

By Florian Zerhoch

All news and stories from our district can also be found on our Facebook page.