Hamburg woman fights statute of limitations on 65 alleged rapes
Claudia Wuttke from Hamburg learned from police that her ex-husband allegedly raped and filmed her over 16 years. 65 of the 67 acts risk being barred by the statute of limitations.
Hamburg woman fights statute of limitations on 65 alleged rapes
Claudia Wuttke (59) from Hamburg experienced a double shock in June 2025. First, police officers from Lüneburg showed her video recordings in which a woman suffers sexual violence at the hands of her ex-husband. That woman was herself.
The 59-year-old recognised herself on the recordings as "completely distressed, without her own will, unable to speak". She has no memory of the events and suspects she was sedated.
According to research by the news magazine Der Spiegel, investigators found 67 videos on the ex-husband's computer. These show the man committing sexual assaults on Claudia Wuttke over a period of 16 years – during the marriage and also after the divorce, when the two still had contact.
After five months of investigation, Wuttke received a letter from the prosecutor's office: 65 of the 67 documented acts were barred by the statute of limitations. Only one alleged crime from 2021 and another case in which a baseball bat was used could still be prosecuted. The trial for these two cases was scheduled to begin on 15 June.
In Germany, the statute of limitations for rape without aggravating circumstances is five years. Investigators could not conclusively establish that Wuttke was defenceless – a circumstance that would extend the deadline. "If this woman was not defenceless, what does a defenceless woman look like?", Wuttke asks.
The 59-year-old feels "abandoned by the rule of law". After filing an objection, however, investigation into the 65 cases barred by the statute of limitations was resumed. Whether this will result in indictments remains unclear.
Wuttke, who writes crime novels under the pseudonym Sia Piontek, has founded the support group "Ungebrochen". "I want to offer women who have been through this what I myself lacked."
Source: Le Temps
Source: Le Temps