More than nine years of violence in care facility: Educator sentenced to prison in Berlin

In her reasoning for the verdict, the judge stated that physical and psychological violence were part of the children's daily lives. The judge stated verbatim: "The use of physical and psychological violence was part of the children's daily lives, they felt fear every day." The children reportedly had to endure so-called police grips, were repeatedly pulled by their hair, insulted, and woken up at night if there had been incidents during the day.

Procedure and consequences for the children

In one case, a boy who was five or six years old at the time was showered with water that was too hot, according to the court, and had to be taken to the hospital with scalds on his back. The violence also included beatings and, in some cases, led to significant injuries. Experts diagnosed developmental disorders in two of the four children as a result of the violence they experienced.

The judge stated that the court, in retrospect, considered the placement of the children in this group home to be impermissible. The facility's operator provided no significant support, and there were hardly any checks or supervision. The proceedings were initiated in 2019 after the eldest daughter first made accusations; her siblings then also described incidents.

Procedural delay and verdict

Although the children had already been interviewed by the police in 2020, the file remained unprocessed for a long time afterward. Due to this procedural delay, which violates the rule of law, the court recognized four months of the sentence as already served. The defendant's confession had a mitigating effect on the sentence; according to the court, it also spared the children a lengthy interrogation during the trial.

The prosecution had requested a prison sentence of the amount now imposed; the defense had pleaded for a suspended sentence without making a specific sentencing request. The verdict is not yet legally binding. The group home itself could not continue to operate after the allegations became known.

Structural deficits in supervision and operator

The case sheds light on the supervision of family-like group homes where children with special needs are placed. The court described the operator's lack of adequate professional support and the general absence of external controls as a structural failure. The consequences for the affected children, including proven developmental disorders, will continue to be a focus beyond the criminal proceedings.

With regard to the victims, the judge emphasized that the defendant's confession spared the children a renewed, lengthy confrontation with the acts in court. At the same time, the court noted that the defendant, according to his own account, started his role highly motivated and with good intentions, but then apparently became overwhelmed early on and the violence began shortly after the group home opened.