For years there have been allegations of sexualized violence against a former pastor from the Diocese of Trier.
Now he has been sentenced - for assaulting an altar boy.
Saarbrücken – A former pastor has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of one year and eight months by the Saarbrücken Regional Court for sexually assaulting an acolyte.
The court saw it as proven that in 1997 the Catholic priest from the Diocese of Trier had urged a 14-year-old boy in his rectory in Freisen, Saarland, to tolerate sexual acts.
The 69-year-old defendant had denied the allegations to the end.
The acolyte had a "close, trusting relationship" with the pastor, said the presiding judge Thomas Emanuel on Thursday.
On the evening of the crime, he drank alcohol with the boy after a service 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.
There he called for help without anyone hearing him.
The pastor then tried to appease him by saying, "That's normal and not that bad," said Emanuel.
The boy was shocked, but then stuck to the good relationship with the priest.
The accused was something of a "spiritual mentor" and role model for him, since the acolyte himself wanted to be a pastor - and became one.
To this day, the person concerned is suffering “massively” from the consequences of the crime, the judge said.
One could speak of a post-traumatic stress disorder - with sleep disorders and fears.
His statement was "convincing and plausible," said Emanuel.
Nothing points to a "revenge or false incrimination motive".
In addition, the crime fits into the behavior of the priest towards other children, which was determined before and after the crime.
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 did allow conclusions to be drawn about the man's dealings with children, said Emanuel.
There had been multiple 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.
The pleadings were held behind closed doors.
The court justified this by saying that the process had already been partially closed to the public.
Among other things, the man affected by the crime, who appeared as a joint plaintiff in the process, testified behind closed doors.
According to those involved in the process, the public prosecutor's office had demanded a sentence of two and a half years, and the co-plaintiff agreed.
The defense therefore pleaded for acquittal.
The verdict is not yet legally binding.
dpa
