This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45096183
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 4 | Version 5 |
---|---|
German couple jailed for selling son to paedophiles on dark net | German couple jailed for selling son to paedophiles on dark net |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A woman who sold her son to paedophiles on the dark net has been jailed for 12 years and six months by a court in southern Germany. | A woman who sold her son to paedophiles on the dark net has been jailed for 12 years and six months by a court in southern Germany. |
The Freiburg court also jailed her partner, the boy's stepfather, for 12 years. The boy was nine when the trial began in June. | The Freiburg court also jailed her partner, the boy's stepfather, for 12 years. The boy was nine when the trial began in June. |
The German nationals, 48 and 39 years old, had sexually abused the boy themselves for at least two years. | The German nationals, 48 and 39 years old, had sexually abused the boy themselves for at least two years. |
The dark net is an internet area beyond the reach of mainstream search engines. | The dark net is an internet area beyond the reach of mainstream search engines. |
On Monday, the court jailed a Spanish man for 10 years for sexually abusing the boy repeatedly. | |
Five other men have also been prosecuted in connection with the abuse. | Five other men have also been prosecuted in connection with the abuse. |
The couple were found guilty of rape, aggravated sexual assault of children, forced prostitution and distribution of child pornography. | The couple were found guilty of rape, aggravated sexual assault of children, forced prostitution and distribution of child pornography. |
The boy is now living with foster parents. | The boy is now living with foster parents. |
The couple must now pay €42,500 (£38,000; $49,200) in damages to the boy and to a three-year-old girl, who was also abused by them. | The couple must now pay €42,500 (£38,000; $49,200) in damages to the boy and to a three-year-old girl, who was also abused by them. |
What happened to the boy, who is now aged 10, shocked even experienced investigators, reports the BBC's Jenny Hill in Berlin. | |
Prosecutors say the boy was subjected to more than 60 serious sex attacks, many of which were filmed. | |
The case has horrified Germany, not least because the authorities - who knew that the mother's partner was a convicted paedophile - missed opportunities to rescue the boy, our correspondent says. | |
On Tuesday the judge told the boy's mother that she had carried out one of the most brutal sexual attacks. | |
The trial has also raised concerns that officials might sometimes wrongly presume that a woman is incapable of abusing her own child. | |
Authorities criticised | Authorities criticised |
German media report that child welfare authorities in Baden-Württemberg state have been heavily criticised for failing to stop the couple's abuse. | German media report that child welfare authorities in Baden-Württemberg state have been heavily criticised for failing to stop the couple's abuse. |
The boy had been removed from the couple temporarily by social workers, but was then handed back to them. | The boy had been removed from the couple temporarily by social workers, but was then handed back to them. |
Spiegel news website reports that welfare officers had not exchanged information about the case that could have led them to the couple's crimes. | Spiegel news website reports that welfare officers had not exchanged information about the case that could have led them to the couple's crimes. |
According to case psychiatrist Hartmut Pleines, quoted by Spiegel, the mother's claim that she was in thrall to her partner when she committed the abuse was false. | |
She did not explain her actions, but her partner did speak a lot in court during the two-month trial, Spiegel reported. | She did not explain her actions, but her partner did speak a lot in court during the two-month trial, Spiegel reported. |