A German court has sentenced a woman to seven years and nine months in prison for failing to protect her son from being raped. The Munster court stated in its ruling today that it was convinced the mother was aware that her ex-partner was sexually abusing her son, yet she did not prevent the incidents of rape. The court's sentence was less than the ten years requested by the prosecution, but more severe than the six-year sentence sought by the defense.
The defendant unexpectedly made a partial confession before the closing arguments. On the penultimate day of the trial, she admitted that she had not ruled out the possibility of the abuse occurring since October 2019, but she felt unable to end the relationship. In her final statement in court, the mother expressed her regret. At the beginning of the trial in early August, she still denied the accusations.
Most of the trial proceedings were held away from the public eye to protect the 12-year-old victim. The mother’s partner, an IT technician, is the main accused in a series of child rape offenses that took place in a cabin in a park in Munster and other locations in Germany. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and will remain in preventive custody after completing his sentence.
