German court jails man for drugging, raping wife, posting assaults online

A German court jailed a man on Friday for repeatedly drugging his wife, sexually assaulting her and posting videos of the attacks online.

AACHEN, Germany - A German court jailed a man on Friday for repeatedly drugging his wife, sexually assaulting her and posting videos of the attacks online, in a case that has drawn comparisons with a high‑profile French trial last year.

The 61-year-old defendant, identified only as Fernando P. in accordance with German privacy laws, was sentenced to eight and a half years by a regional court in the western city of Aachen that found him guilty of aggravated rape and bodily harm.

He was also convicted of violating his wife's intimate privacy for making recordings and distributing them online, the court said.

The defendant Fernando P. is escorted by a justice officer at the regional court on Friday, to hear the verdict in the case where he is accused of drugging and raping his wife in Aachen.Roberto Pfeil / AFP via Getty ImagesThe case has drawn comparisons in German media to the 2024 trial of Dominique Pelicot in Avignon, France, who was sentenced to 20 years for drugging and repeatedly raping his wife and inviting dozens of strangers to abuse her unconscious body.

A spokesperson for the court in Aachen said: "Between 2018 and 2024, the defendant repeatedly sedated his wife in their former home and then sexually abused her. He is also alleged to have uploaded videos of these acts to chat groups and internet platforms, thereby making them available to other users."