In the lawsuit against a Würzburg speech therapist, the victim lawyers attacked the advice of psychiatrist Norbert Nedopil. The verdict will probably only be available at the end of May.
Photo: Ulises Ruiz
Norbert Nedopil looked pissed off at the end of the trial in front of the Würzburg district court. The renowned psychiatrist had once taught at the university in Würzburg. Now, as so often in German courtrooms, the Munich expert played a key role in the process of abuse of seven boys by a speech therapist. In his report, Nedopil should explain what had driven the accused and whether he would be a danger to other boys after the end of a prison sentence.
Expert surveyed intensively for three hours
In the process, the expert with the big name was treated with a lot of respect. But the end on Thursday was probably not quite to Nedopil’s taste – not only because his performance was always delayed. With a hasty step and a grim expression, the psychiatrist silently left the court on Thursday afternoon.
Before that, the doubting lawyers of the seven little boys in front of him had troubled him with questions for three hours. In the psychiatrist’s report, the accused got away far too well for them. But Nedopil stubbornly held on to the results of his investigation.
Psychiatrist sees low risk of repetition
They had found that with appropriate therapy, the risk of new abuse by the 38-year-old speech therapist was low. This makes the hardest possible punishment that some of the victims expect for the crimes unlikely: preventive detention of the offender even after a long prison term, which corresponds to the term “life sentence” in the popular sense.
According to Nedopil, who had intensively questioned and tested the accused, the conditions for this are not met. The targeted demands of other pedophiles in child porn forums on the Darknet for ever harder acts of abuse that the Würzburg speech therapist should film would have had “a pull and pressure effect” on him. In addition, the therapist was able to maintain close contact with his victims without suspicion.
Expert: “Open to therapeutic treatment”
This can easily be prevented in the future, court spokesman Rainer Volkert quoted after the closed session from the expert’s statements: “From a psychiatric perspective, the accused is capable of behavior conforming to standards and open to therapeutic treatment.”
Photo: Thomas Obermeier
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Even without therapy, the expert therefore estimated the defendant’s relapse risk at ten to 20 percent. This risk can be reduced to a “very low level” by treatment in prison.
Further financial arrangements with the victims
The rest of the trial day took advantage of regulations on the financial compensation of the victims. There had already been payments between 2000 and 9000 euros per affected child. Four victims had made further demands. The court spokesman reported that “comparisons have now been made for further sums for pain and suffering between EUR 3,000 and EUR 16,000”. The pleadings were therefore delayed on Thursday.
Two more trial days scheduled
The process is now to be continued non-publicly until almost until the end – shortly before Pentecost. So far, only another negotiation day was scheduled for May 7. Then the nine pleadings by prosecutor, two defense lawyers and six co-plaintiffs will begin – and continue on May 18.
The accused speech therapist then has the so-called last word – which only the process participants will hear again. “The pleadings are held in camera,” said Rainer Volkert. The verdict is scheduled for May 18 or 25.
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Wurzburg
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Manfred Schweidler
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accused
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Reviewers
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Child porn case Würzburg
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Speech therapist
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Abuse processes
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psychiatrist
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psychiatry
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Preventive detention
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Prosecutors
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Criminals and criminals
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