German court jails "prophet" for sexual abuse
December 30, 2021
A German court on Thursday sentenced a self-proclaimed "prophet" of a religious community to five years in prison for sexually abusing a girl for more than a decade.
A court in Kleve, a German town near the Dutch border, ruled that the Dutch national, identified as Robert B., sexually abused the girl from the age of 13 in 2006 until she was in her 20s.
According to the indictment, the 59-year-old leader of the Order of Transformants, a hierarchical religious community, separated the girl from her family after a "vision from God,"
He later locked her into a room and confiscated her mobile phone, according to prosecutors.
How did the case emerge?
The court expressly rejected his attorney's claims that the survivor, who is now 27 years old, wasn't a credible witness.
The case first came to light in October 2020 when, following suspicious reports, hundreds of police officers raided the old Cistercian monastery in the German town of Goch, near the Dutch border.
They found at least 54 members of the religious community, including 10 children.
The victim worked at the monastery as an events manager, but authorities believed she was held captive.
Robert B. claimed the girl self-imposed "seclusion," and has rejected the allegations of abuse and deprivation of liberty.
His defense team said they would appeal the verdict.
mvb, lo/fb (AFP, dpa)