Sexton must go to prison for rape © Marcus Fuhrer
The court ruled: For raping an adult church volunteer while he was a sexton, a Polish-born ex-monk must go to jail.
The district court in Weilheim, Upper Bavaria, confirmed on Thursday corresponding media reports about a verdict already handed down on Tuesday. The 50-year-old defendant was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. The judges thus went well beyond the suspended sentence requested by the prosecution. The man had been sexton of the parish church in Steingaden since 2012.
The assault occurred in May of this year in the church's boiler room, which the perpetrator locked after entering it together. After a long hesitation, the woman confided in the priest, who then dismissed the sexton after consultation with the diocese of Augsburg, as he told the Catholic News Agency (KNA) on request. The clergyman had to testify as a witness himself. According to the court, the complaint was filed by the injured party. Defense lawyer pleaded for acquittal, saying the sexual acts were consensual.
The court, on the other hand, concluded that the defendant had exploited the relationship of trust with the young woman. He had deliberately lured her to the scene of the crime against her will. In addition, the perpetrator had neither apologized nor shown remorse. The verdict will not become final until next Tuesday, unless one party appeals.