Priest convicted of child abuse: judgment in Montabaur made!

Priest convicted of child abuse: judgment in Montabaur made!

On March 26, 2025, a decisive trial took place at the lay judge in Montabaur, which attracted great media attention nationwide. A 50-year-old priest from the Westerwaldkreis was charged with a child's sexual abuse. The allegations refer to an incident in October 2019 in Ruggel (Liechtenstein), where he supposedly attracted an eight -year -old girl to the rectory under an excuse and performed inappropriate. The accused, on the other hand, vehemently denies the allegations and calls himself a victim of a conspiracy.

In his defense, the priest stated that he only took the girl to the rectory in order to get a lack of altar server booklet. Nevertheless, the case speaks for itself: nude pictures of children and pornographic material were discovered on his confiscated cell phone. The accused rejected this finds as manipulation or hack. The 13-year-old witness reported that on the day of the incident she told her parents about the priest's actions. At the negotiation, her father confirmed that she received psychological help but was not traumatized.

judgment and consequences

The public prosecutor applied for a ten -month imprisonment, which should be suspended for two years. The representative of the co -action even called for a imprisonment of 12 months. The defendant's defense lawyer advocated acquittal and expressed doubts about the allegations. Finally, the priest was sentenced to a prison sentence of eight months, the enforcement of which was also suspended for two years. However, the judgment is not yet final because there were no explanations of the verdict. The Montabaur District Court in Rhineland-Palatinate confirmed that the priest has worked as a parish priest in Liechtenstein in the past, but now lives in Rhineland-Palatinate.

The increasing number of such incidents and the associated legal discussion gives a high level of serious social problem. The police crime statistics (PKS) shows 15,520 cases of sexual child abuse for 2022 in Germany. At the same time, there were 42,075 cases of distribution, acquisition, possession and manufacture of representations of abuse, also known as child pornography.

social relevance

The events around this case are part of a worrying trend: The numbers for the display gradients have been increasing for several years, which is partly due to an increased willingness to report. The increase in depictions of abuse on the Internet illustrates the urgency of the topic. From 21,868 cases in 2020, the number rose to 48,821 cases in 2022. Nevertheless, a large part of the deeds remains in the dark field, since many attacks are not displayed or documented.

In order to improve the situation in Germany, extensive scientific studies and national prevalence research on the frequency of sexual violence on children and adolescents are necessary. Currently available data come from different sources and are difficult to compare. Institutions such as the representatives for sexual abuse in Germany therefore require reliable estimates about the actual frequency of such crimes.

A case like that of the priest from Montabaur not only illustrates the challenges in the legal system, but also the social consequences that are triggered by sexual abuse of children.