Cologne Regional Court sentences ex-child photographer Lippoth to seven years in prison

However, the Regional Court acquitted the defendant on two other charges, which also concerned former photo models. In these cases, the chamber assessed that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction.

First verdict and annulment by the Federal Court of Justice

The current conviction is the result of a retrial. In a first trial, Lippoth had already been sentenced to four years and ten months in prison. However, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) had overturned this verdict and referred the case back to the Cologne Regional Court due to errors in the assessment of evidence.

The total sentence of seven years now imposed includes the previous sentence of four years and ten months from 2022. This re-establishes the overall criminal record of the proceedings without questioning the guilt already established.

Lippoth has been in a correctional facility in North Rhine-Westphalia since August of last year. Prior to that, according to the court, he had been in pre-trial detention for months. This period of detention will be credited towards the new sentence.

Pedophilic inclination over decades

In its reasoning, the criminal chamber concluded that the man had acted out of a pedophilic inclination for more than three decades. The judges considered it particularly aggravating that he had deliberately used his prominent professional position as a recognized photographer to gain access to victims. This, they stated, gave the acts an exploitative character.

In the event of re-offending after serving his sentence, the convicted man faces preventive detention, according to the court. Furthermore, the chamber expressly recommended that the 57-year-old undergo therapeutic treatment to counteract his documented inclination.

In addition to the current verdict, other convictions against Lippoth are legally binding, according to the court. The exact content and sentences of these were not discussed in detail on the day of the hearing.

Lippoth was an internationally sought-after photographer for many years and sold his images worldwide. His career as a child photographer ended with the disclosure of the allegations. The sources for the reporting were observations by a WDR reporter on site, the Cologne Regional Court, and the Cologne Public Prosecutor's Office.