Berlin electrician charged with serial rape – 58 alleged victims
A 68-year-old electrician from Berlin is facing trial after allegedly meeting dozens of women through dating portals, drugging and raping them. The prosecution counts 58 alleged victims.
Berlin electrician charged with serial rape – 58 alleged victims
The Berlin prosecution office has brought charges against a 68-year-old electrician. The man is alleged to have drugged numerous women with sleeping pills and alcohol, raped them, and secretly filmed them between 2016 and 2022 in the German capital, according to France Info.
Investigators have accused the retired man of 22 cases of aggravated rape, along with grievous bodily harm and violation of personal rights through secret filming. The alleged offences took place over a period of six years in Berlin.
The case came to light after police in Verden an der Aller in Lower Saxony investigated another man in early 2025 who is believed to have committed similar crimes. This suspect had already died. When searching his telephone, officers found chat logs with the Berlin man. This prompted them to launch an investigation into the electrician.
On 21 March 2025, authorities searched the suspect's home for the first time. They were looking for pornographic material. Although they initially found no evidence of more serious offences, they seized computers and data carriers. When the hard drives were subsequently examined in February 2026, investigators discovered numerous videos showing sexual assaults that were most likely committed by the accused. On 3 March 2026, police arrested the man. He has been in custody pending trial since then.
In total, the prosecution office is investigating 58 alleged victims. Fourteen women had no memory of the incidents and only learned of the assaults from investigators when they were shown the videos. Ten further women in the recordings have not yet been identified. Investigations are still ongoing for thirty further women. The authorities had to drop 36 additional rape cases from 2010 to 2014 because they had become time-barred under German law.
The prosecution is seeking a conviction and the continuation of the man's detention pending trial. There are currently no indications of diminished or excluded criminal responsibility. The suspect has made no statement regarding the allegations.
Source: France Info