Trial begins in Stralsund: forced prostitution and violence revealed!

Trial begins in Stralsund: forced prostitution and violence revealed!

A trial began today at the Stralsund regional court against a 39-year-old man who is accused of forced prostitution and bodily harm. The accusation is serious: The defendant is said to have forced his partner into prostitution over a period of four years, from mid-2021 to the end of June 2025, and regularly used violence to make her compliant. [NDR].

In detail, the defendant is accused of publishing advertisements for sexual services via internet portals. According to the public prosecutor's office, he accompanied his partner to meetings with suitors in the greater Greifswald area and collected the money. According to his own statements, initially five to six clients came per day, before the number fell when the victim took up a job. There are even said to have been up to a thousand appointments with suitors. According to n-tv, the defendant's previous statements were incomplete and contradictory.

Forced prostitution and its consequences

What exactly is forced prostitution? It describes forcing a person into prostitution through violence or threats. The legal basis for this is anchored in Section 232a of the Criminal Code, and the penalties are significant: prison sentences of six months to ten years can be possible, depending on the severity of the case. The events surrounding this trial are an example of the shocking aspects of forced prostitution, which often remains hidden. Fachanwalt makes it clear that many victims suffer psychological and physical damage and often do not go to the police out of fear.

During the trial, the presiding judge also referred to photographs of bruises that documented the pain of the injured. The woman's mother also spoke about the threats and attacks she experienced, while her father described the defendant as a "pasha" who exercised control over his daughter. Even though the defendant partially admitted that his girlfriend did not want to go into prostitution voluntarily, he claimed that she first offered herself and was then repeatedly forced by him to go to the meetings.

The path to judgment

Two more days of trial have already been scheduled for the coming days before the court could come to a decision in the week before Christmas. An agreement is being sought on a possible sentence, which could range from three years and ten months to four years and six months, depending on a full confession from the defendant. The negotiations were in jeopardy several times because the defendant's statements were not only inadequate but also often contradictory, which made the process more difficult. The defendant, who has health problems after a stroke in 2023, must now face the court's questions and the allegations. Whether he will accept responsibility or continue to distract remains to be seen.