Police in Braunschweig, Germany, are under fire after reportedly failing to inform the public about the rape of a 12-year-old girl by a Syrian migrant last month. The incident, which was kept quiet by local authorities, is said to have occurred on August 10 when a 15-year-old Syrian migrant molested the girl in a public pool before raping her in the changing room.
According to Junge Freiheit, the case was only made public to locals after a resident tipped off a local newspaper which pursued the authorities for details.
Despite the disturbing nature of the crime, Christian Wolters, a spokesperson for the police, admitted that the rapist was allowed to walk free following his brief arrest without any additional security measures.
“The further background, in particular the exact sequence of events, is the subject of the ongoing investigation. In particular, forensic comparisons are still pending. The investigations are still relatively early, even though the crime took place three weeks ago,” said Wolters, noting that because the suspect had been accused of rape, legal verifications are taking place.
“In order to meet the legal requirements, the perpetrator would have to have performed a particularly degrading act, sexual intercourse or similar to sexual intercourse on the victim, which would have involved penetrating the child’s body,” Wolters continued.
He also outlined the events that took place, noting that “the girl is said to have been sexually harassed by the suspect while she was in the water” before he followed her into the pool’s changing room to rape her.
Although police claim they “did not go public with the incident because of the age of all the people involved in the criminal proceedings,” the decision was met with backlash on X, with many accusing the police of protecting the perpetrator and trying to keep the incident quiet.
“Protecting the perpetrator before protecting the victim…And the perpetrator also learns that he does not have to fear any consequences in Germany. The girl is scarred for life. She was probably a virgin… Disgusting,” wrote one user on X.
“‘According to the police, the incident was kept secret because the victim was so young. This means that if children are raped, the public should NOT be concerned,” added another user by the handle @IronischerFink.
In response to the growing outrage, Braunschweig Police President Michael Pientka chalked the issue up to an increase in the number of crimes being committed by young people. He explained that from 2022 to 2023, the figure rose from nearly 5,300 reported cases of crime to over 5,700, with cases of sexual abuse committed by young people increasing by almost 60%.
Although the investigation into the young girl’s rape is currently ongoing, the Syrian suspect has been appointed a defense attorney.
