Prosecutors in Bamberg have charged a 33-year-old nurse with allegedly sexually abusing 24 disabled people across three care institutions since October 2018. Authorities say he took close-up photos — including images of children under 14 — and touched multiple victims, many of whom could not comprehend the crimes due to severe disabilities. The case began after a tip from the US NCMEC; police recovered more than 38,000 illicit images and over 600 videos. The suspect, in pre-trial detention, faces between one and 15 years in prison if convicted.
German Nurse Charged Over Alleged Sexual Abuse Of 24 Disabled People
ILLUSTRATION - A young woman sits with a stuffed animal in her arms in a room at the Childhood House, where children and adolescents who have been victims of abuse can be interviewed. (is associated with: «German male nurse charged with sexual abuse of 24 disabled people») Jan Woitas/dpa
Prosecutors in Bamberg have charged a 33-year-old German nurse with repeatedly sexually abusing 24 disabled children, adolescents and adults placed in his care across three Bavarian institutions. The allegations, which authorities say span several years, include producing and possessing child sexual-abuse material, touching patients and taking close-up photographs of victims — reportedly including minors under 14.
Allegations and Victims
According to prosecutors, the alleged offences began in October 2018 and involve 24 victims in separate care facilities. Investigators say many victims had severe physical and mental impairments and were therefore unable to recognise or understand the offences as they occurred.
How the Investigation Began
The probe began after German authorities received a tip-off from the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) about several child sexual-abuse videos that had been uploaded to a cloud storage service. Following that lead, police searched the suspect's flat in March.
Evidence Recovered
Prosecutors report that officers seized more than 38,000 images of child sexual abuse and over 600 video files from storage devices. The suspect is accused of taking close-up photographs of some victims — including images alleged to show children under the age of 14 — and of physically touching several patients.
Charges and Next Steps
The man faces multiple charges, including production and possession of child pornography, sexual abuse of children and vulnerable patients in care homes, and violations of privacy and personal rights through photographing victims without consent. He is currently held in pre-trial detention.
The Bamberg regional court will decide whether the case proceeds to trial. If convicted, the suspect could face a custodial sentence ranging from one to 15 years.
All allegations are made by prosecutors; the accused is entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven guilty in court.
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