Abuse trial: Ex-anesthetist: “I brought people to ruin”
He is said to have taken intimate photos of anesthetized patients: The defendant speaks of inexplicable “impulses”. He admits key allegations.
A former anesthetist accused of sexual abuse of children has admitted several key allegations before the Hanover regional court. “I brought a lot of people to ruin,” the 52-year-old explained about his defense attorney. In a 14-page statement on the second day of the trial, the man’s lawyer said his client admitted the first eight charges. They refer to images of anesthetized patients at the Neustadt am Rübenberge Regional Hospital near Hanover.
The public prosecutor’s office accuses the former anesthesiologist of a total of eleven cases. According to the prosecution, he is said to have taken advantage of the anesthesia of young patients to take intimate photos. In some cases he is said to have touched girls for the recordings. According to previous reports, almost all of the victims were minors; the youngest girl was eight years old.
The defendant worked as an anesthetist from 2001 to 2024, said his defense attorney. According to the defense, the acts in the hospital were not planned or prepared. The man followed an impulse during waiting and monitoring phases. The statement said it was a case of “chance encounters in hospital operations”.
Defense attorney: “He cannot explain this impulse in any meaningful way”
The former doctor is very ashamed of his behavior. According to his own statement, he never showed the recordings to other people. According to the defense attorney, the defendant described having such photos as a feeling of power. “He relied on these recordings in his everyday life,” said the lawyer. According to his own statement, the man did not get any sexual satisfaction from it. “He cannot explain this impulse in any meaningful way,” said the defense attorney.
The defendant also commented on another charge from his personal environment through his defense lawyer. These are photos from the summer of 2014. The man photographed his daughter and the daughter of a family friend when, according to him, the girls put on a show naked of their own request. According to his own account, he did not feel sexually satisfied, but rather felt “strong and superior”.
Charges also include possession of child and juvenile pornography
The public prosecutor then questioned the defendant about contradictions. Among other things, it was about the fact that the man only photographed female people in their intimate areas. Incriminated files were also found on the defendant. The charge also includes possession of child and youth pornography.
Regarding his personal history, the defendant explained that he had had a problematic relationship with pornography since his early youth. He had already taken part in sex therapy in 2004. Pornography had a strong fascination for him, but at the same time it was an escape behavior from everyday problems. The man feels inferior to most women.
Noticed on the beach in Croatia
According to earlier information from the prosecution, the ex-doctor was noticed in Croatia in the summer of 2024 because he was said to have taken photos on a nudist beach. According to the defense, he was arrested there. While in custody, he was beaten and spat on, had to clean toilets and had no opportunity to shower, the statement said. After his return, he was admitted to a specialist clinic and was treated as an inpatient for four months. The defendant is still in therapy.
Hannover Region Hospital is demanding more than half a million euros
According to the defense, the defendant no longer practices his profession. His former employer – the Hannover Region Hospital – is demanding more than half a million euros from the man. There were calls on the Internet to harm the defendant. The defendant promised compensation to those affected by his actions.
According to earlier information, the clinic had separated from the man. The hospital announced that the case had caused great concern and deep consternation among staff and hospital management. Several continuation dates have been scheduled for the trial.
dpa
DOCUMENTED REFERENCES
Exploring Documented Records
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For readers looking to review primary-source style data rather than interpretations, exploring compiled records can provide additional context to the broader discussion.