A man accused of particularly serious sexual abuse of children has confessed to his crimes. “He filmed the acts, he saved them, that’s how it is,” said lawyer Andreas Lange in a statement for his client at the start of the trial at the Schwerin regional court. The defendant is also accused of obtaining child and youth pornography content over the Internet.
The 72-year-old from the Ludwigslust-Parchim district had previously not wanted to comment in the morning, as lawyer Lange explained at the beginning of the hearing. At the suggestion of the defense attorney and with the consent of the public prosecutor, the presiding judge Armin Lessel then interrupted the session for a legal discussion between both sides behind closed doors.
The hearing continued after around two hours. Judge Lessel announced that the court had promised a total prison sentence of five to seven years for the defendant in the event of a confession. The man has not yet been convicted and some of his crimes occurred a long time ago. Senior public prosecutor Jörg Seifert and the defendant's lawyer agreed to the proposed upper and lower limits. With the man's confession in the statement subsequently read out by the lawyer, the court is now fundamentally bound to this framework.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the man is said to have traveled to Asia, more specifically Vietnam and Cambodia, annually between 2008 and 2012 and abused children between the ages of seven and twelve. He is said to have photographed and filmed his actions. Contact with the girls is said to have come about through previously unknown backers.
In addition, the senior is said to have downloaded or attempted to download child and youth pornography content from the Internet between 2022 and 2025. He has saved thousands of corresponding files on various data storage media. For example, the defendant uploaded a photo himself using a search engine in order to find similar images. There are a total of 27 crimes, said Senior Public Prosecutor Seifert.
As lawyer Lange read in his client's statement, he temporarily worked as a diving instructor in Asia. “That’s what led him to these countries,” says Lange. The senior “got into the scene” through another person. The defendant was clear about his actions, which is why he researched behavioral therapies on the Internet. “He was aware that it was a profound issue.”
Lange also mentions that the defendant is in poor health. He also faces hostility while in custody.
The investigating authorities became aware of the now accused in 2025, as a spokesman for the regional court explained in advance. The reason was a tip from a US organization in connection with the IP address used on the Internet. The public prosecutor then applied for a search warrant at the Schwerin district court. According to the indictment, during the search the police seized laptops and external hard drives with countless files.
The 72-year-old, who uses a wheelchair, has been in custody since March 2026. At the beginning of June 2026, charges were brought against him. The regional court has initially scheduled four hearing dates, the next one is scheduled for next Thursday. In addition to three witnesses, including police officers, two experts have also been invited. There could be a verdict in the coming days.
