A 45-year-old man has been sentenced to 14.5 years in prison in Cologne for sexually abusing babysitters. Germany’s infamous trial centered on more than 120 abuse cases against 13 children between 2005 and 2019.
Marcus R. offered himself as a babysitter through online platforms and came into contact with his victims. He videotaped the abuse in some cases.
The youngest victim was a month-old girl, according to the indictment. R. made a confession during the trial and described his actions as “reprehensible”.
The man was arrested in December 2021 in Wermelskirchen, about 20 kilometers from Cologne. That happened at his house. The IT expert was then in a video meeting with colleagues.
The police wanted to arrest R. at a time when he was behind the computer, in order to gain access to images of child abuse. A huge amount of child pornography was found.
According to German media, the investigation into R. also led to other investigations into child abuse and the identification of dozens of other suspects. The suspects would have exchanged images of child abuse among themselves. Several underage victims were also identified.
