Rape process in Cologne: The accused denies serious allegations

Rape process in Cologne: The accused denies serious allegations

A 54-year-old accountant from Cologne has been standing before the district court since Thursday, accused of serious offenses such as rape and assault. The process is an urgent example of the increasing cases of sexual violence in North Rhine-Westphalia that experienced a worrying increase last year.

The accused is said to have threatened, beaten and forced his ex-partner in her apartment, to have sexual intercourse with him. The injured party separated from him five weeks before the crime. On the day of the crime, the accused went to speak to the woman to talk about a journey booked together. This led to an escalating dispute at the dining table, which was triggered by a vulgar insult. The accused attacked the woman physically, choked her and expressed threats that speak of the context of violence and control: "I kill you". These threats support the serious allegations and show a worrying escalation of violence.

course of the crime

In the further course of the discussion, the accused in the bedroom searched for his clothes and that of a possible new partner of the injured party. There he is said to have raped the woman despite violent resistance. After the incident, he said: "I lacked it" and suggested starting from the front before leaving the apartment. The injured party later filed a complaint, which underlines the considerable courage that is necessary to take legal action in such a traumatizing situation.

The accused, on the other hand, denies the allegations. He described the injured party as "consistently lying person" and claimed that the relationship had ended by him. He stated that the encounter was mutually acceptable on the day of the crime and defended itself against the allegations of rape. The injured party is described as traumatized; Your application for an interrogation without the presence of the accused was rejected.

context of violence in NRW

These incidents come in an environment of increasing sexual violence in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2022, around 2,950 rapes were recorded nationwide, which represents an increase of almost 600 cases compared to 2021. The Cologne police in particular recorded most of these cases with 309 rapes. In a worrying trend, the number of registered victims has risen to 2,990, from 2,385 in 2021. This illustrates an urgent need to discuss violence against women more intensively and take effective measures.

A comprehensive analysis of gender -specific violence in Germany was recently presented in the first periodic report by the German Institute for Human Rights. This report, which covers the developments from 2020 to 2022, documents both efforts by the federal and state governments to implement the Istanbul Convention and the current situation regarding gender-specific violence.

The procedure against the balance sheet accountant continues. The results are not only important for the woman concerned, but also lead a light on the urgently needed social and legal changes to protect women from violence.

Overall, there are cases like this are not isolated, but are part of a major problem of violence against women that must be seriously addressed in society.