A 68-year-old German national has been charged with 22 counts of sexually assaulting 14 women after allegedly sedating them with sleeping tablets and alcohol, then raping them and filming the acts. Berlin prosecutors announced the indictment, noting that the suspect, an electrician, has been in police custody since March.
Suspect filmed all assaults
Prosecutors stated that because the suspect recorded each rape, all offenses are alleged to have been committed in conjunction with an infringement of the right to one's own image. The ongoing investigation has revealed numerous alleged offenses against a total of 58 women, 10 of whom have not yet been identified.
Method of attack
The accused is alleged to have sedated the women using various sleeping tablets in combination with alcohol and subsequently raped them. He is believed to have lured the women beforehand on online dating platforms. Victims who have spoken to investigators said they could not recall the alleged assaults and only learned of them after the videos were discovered.
Investigation and arrest
The case came to light after a tip from police in Lower Saxony, who in early 2025 were investigating similar allegations against a man who has since died. That suspect is believed to have been in contact with the Berlin man through online chats. The tip prompted a search of the Berlin suspect's flat in the Friedrichsfelde suburb, where police unearthed a cache of digital files. In 2026, an investigator found several videos of sexual assaults in which the suspect is believed to be the assailant. Police raided his home again in March 2027 and detained him.
Similar cases and broader context
The allegations recall similar cases this year in Berlin and Munich involving serial sexual assault of drugged women captured on camera. German media drew parallels to the case of French woman Gisèle Pelicot, whose husband was convicted of drugging and abusing her and offering her unconscious to dozens of strangers to be raped over nearly a decade. Judge Markus Koppenleitner in Munich, when sentencing a Chinese student to 11 years' imprisonment for drugging and raping his girlfriend, said: "Pelicot is not an isolated case. This is not a Chinese or French phenomenon, but one that also occurs in Germany and, ultimately, worldwide." Investigators in the UK also reported uncovering a "truly international network" of organized drug-facilitated sexual attacks.
Suspect's response
Prosecutors said the suspect has not yet responded to the charges against him.
