Sex offender from Hameln abused children on prison leave – trial in Aschaffenburg
A 23-year-old is accused of abusing two children in Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt during a period of prison leave. The case will be heard at Aschaffenburg Regional Court from Wednesday.
Hameln Youth Prison: Convicted sex offender accused of abusing children during prison leave
A sex offender convicted in Lower Saxony is accused of abusing two children in Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt during a period of prison leave. According to zeit.de, Lower Saxony's Justice Ministry speaks of a "misjudgement of risk" by the responsible Hameln youth prison. The inmate behaved differently during leave than the institution had expected during preparation for release.
Charges: children aged eleven and twelve affected
The alleged victim from the Aschaffenburg area is said to have been twelve years old at the time of the alleged offence – between March and May 2025. Furthermore, the 23-year-old is accused of committing a sexual offence against an eleven-year-old child in the Salzlandkreis in July 2025. He is said to have filmed and photographed parts of the offences. According to investigations, the accused made contact via social media with minors and their families at a time when he was being supervised at a specialist outpatient clinic for sex offenders.
Proceedings at Aschaffenburg Regional Court
The case will be heard before the Youth Chamber of Aschaffenburg Regional Court from Wednesday. Four trial dates are scheduled up to 21 October. The public prosecutor's office intends to apply for preventive detention among other things: if the man would continue to pose a danger to the public after serving any sentence imposed, he would remain in prison.
Hannover Regional Court had already sentenced the man in 2021 to a total custodial sentence of five years and four months for serious sexual abuse of children. He was held in Hameln youth prison. In early 2025 he was granted leave for preparation for release; his sentence in Lower Saxony was due to end on 31 July. At the end of July, investigators arrested the suspect in Bavaria – he has been in remand custody since then.
Warning signs during periods of prison relaxation
During earlier periods of relaxation of detention conditions, the 23-year-old is said to have had several unaccompanied periods of leave. These were temporarily suspended after he used one period of leave to search on his mobile telephone for images which, according to Lower Saxony's Justice Ministry, may have been suitable for causing sexual arousal. The incident was dealt with therapeutically.
Lower Saxony's Justice Minister Kathrin Wahlmann (SPD) spoke of a "failure" after the case became known, because no psychological assessment was obtained before the prison leave – this had only been done before previously granted periods of relaxation of detention conditions.
Planned change to legislation in Lower Saxony
The case is also intended to lead to a change in legislation. In future, in Lower Saxony, for certain offenders – including persons sentenced to life imprisonment or those convicted of particularly serious sexual or homicide offences – a report is always to be prepared before periods of relaxation of detention conditions or open prison are approved. The report is to safeguard the risk assessment decision of the prison. The corresponding draft law is to be discussed in the Lower Saxony cabinet in the coming weeks. The ministry did not disclose what the internal review of the "misjudgement of risk" specifically found.
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)