July 6, 2021

The lead defendant in a long-running child abuse and pornography case in the western German city of Muenster has bagged a 14-year sentence.

The defendant was sentenced on Tuesday for the serious abuse of minors in 29 separate cases.

The court also ordered that the man, a 28-year-old IT technician, be held in preventive detention following completion of his sentence.

Three male co-accused, aged 31, 26 and 43, received sentences ranging from 10 years to 12 years.

They would also be held in preventive detention after serving their sentences.

The court sentenced the lead defendant’s mother, 46, to five years for her role as an accessory.

The case is one of three major abuse cases in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia to come to light in recent years.

After being uncovered in June 2020 following investigations centering on a garden summer house, it led to arrests in other states and abroad.

Five men had already been sentenced, and more than 50 suspects identified, of whom about 30 were in custody. (dpa/NAN)