The trial of a 46-year-old pediatrician began on Monday at the Potsdam Regional Court. Prosecutors spent nearly three hours reading out an indictment alleging 130 offenses involving more than 70 children and young people.
After the indictment was presented, the defendant made a brief statement. He said he had confessed to almost all of the allegations and stood by those admissions. He acknowledged having incurred serious guilt and said he hoped his alleged victims would eventually be able to move on from what happened. His defense team said he would provide a more detailed statement during the proceedings.
Fifteen affected people or their legal guardians are participating in the case as subsidiary plaintiffs. Eighteen hearing days have been scheduled, and a verdict is expected in mid-December.
According to the indictment, many of the alleged offenses took place while the man was working as a doctor at sites of the Havelland Clinics in Rathenow and Nauen. Prosecutors allege that he mainly targeted male patients in hospital rooms, including under the pretext of medical examinations. He is also accused of taking photographs and, in some cases, videos.
In at least four cases, the indictment says, he exploited visits to childcare centers in Brandenburg carried out on behalf of the local health authority. During medical examinations there, he allegedly sexually abused several toddlers and recorded the acts in photographs and videos.
The alleged offenses are said to have taken place between December 2013 and November 2025. The alleged victims were between two and 20 years old. Prosecutors also accuse the defendant of repeatedly engaging in sexual acts with a former patient aged 15 and later 16 in a clinic apartment in Nauen in 2023, allegedly recording those encounters as well. Further serious sexual offenses against minors are alleged to have occurred at the defendant’s private home.
The investigation began after a mother filed a criminal complaint last November, alleging that the doctor had sexually abused a child at the Rathenow clinic. He was subsequently arrested. The investigation expanded after authorities examined seized data storage devices, and he was placed in pretrial detention because of concerns that he might reoffend.
The Havelland Clinics said the start of the trial was an important step toward a comprehensive investigation under the rule of law. After the allegations became known, the clinic group revised its child-protection procedures. It said that examinations and nursing procedures in sensitive situations now generally require two staff members to be present, and that an independent child-protection officer had been appointed.
Sources: Tagesschau.