Today's Terrible Judge: Heiko Halbfas

#Hamburg #Germany District Court Judge #HeikoHalbfas has repeatedly stated he feels sorry for defendants and that justice is a "mass business" . It is this attitude that has seen a Hamburg woman who insulted #migrant rapists on social media jailed for more time than the rapists themselves.

Per #ThePublica , A 20-year-old woman in Hamburg, Germany, has been sent to prison after making “hateful” remarks towards a migrant who was involved in the gang rape of a child. The woman is just one of 140 people being investigated for making “harmful comments” towards the rapists.

The horrific assault took place in 2020, and involved multiple groups of migrant men independently attacking a 14-year-old girl in Hamburg’s Stadtpark over the course of one night. The park had become a popular hang-out spot for youth during the #COVID19 #lockdown and the girl had been there drinking with her friends. But they became scattered after police swept the park and broke up groups while enforcing social distancing measures.

Confused and alone, the girl was defenseless against the first mob of four predators.

The men took turns on the girl, repeatedly raping her over an extended period of time. They robbed her of her wallet and cellphone before leaving her. Traumatized and disoriented from the first attack, and having no method of calling for help, the girl was assaulted a second time by two more men who took advantage of her vulnerable state.

Disturbingly, her assailants had begun inviting other men to rape her via their chat groups, gleefully sharing the news that there was an isolated teenage girl in the dark park with no potential witnesses.

The child was attacked a third time by a single man, and then a fourth time by three more men, who dragged her into a bush and sexually assaulted her.

Finally, the child managed to break away and ran, though pursued by her rapists. Eventually, she came across people who recognized her traumatized state and immediately called the police.

A total of 11 men were initially charged, but two were acquitted quickly due to a lack of DNA evidence. The sperm of nine of the men, however, had been successfully recovered from the girl’s body.

Five of the men were in possession of German passports, while the remainder were not citizens of Germany. Among those charged, none were of German heritage. The rapists were identified as a Pole, an Egyptian, a Libyan, a Kuwaiti, an Iranian, an #Armenian, an #Afghan, a #Syrian, and a #Montenegrin. The men had a team of 20 defense attorneys arguing their innocence.

Videos of the first and third rapes had been recorded and shared by the assailants to contacts through WhatsApp, but the videos were deleted before the case could be heard in court. Witnesses who did see the footage before its deletion did testify that it depicted clear sexual assault, with one noting that the girl had been holding her hands over her head in a protective position.

During the trial, the victim, who now suffers from PTSD as a result of the night of abuse, was called upon to speak about what happened to her. While she recounted her horrific ordeal, the men showed “no signs of remorse” and at least one is said to have almost fallen asleep during proceedings.

However, despite DNA and WhatsApp evidence, eight of the nine men convicted walked free with probation and spent no time in prison at all. The ninth was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison without parole.

The case caused outrage in Germany, both for the brutality of the rape itself and the lenient sentences given to the rapists. As a result, one of the men had his identity and phone number circulated on Snapchat by furious sleuths.

Angered by the news of the case, a 20-year-old woman from Hamburg messaged the number through #WhatsApp. The unnamed woman called him a “dishonorable rapist pig” and a “disgusting miscarriage.” She added: “Aren’t you ashamed when you look in the mirror?”

The targeted rapist then reported the woman to police, and she was charged with sending him insulting messages.

The woman has now been convicted and sentenced to a weekend in prison for her remarks — meaning that she will have spent more time in jail than 8 of the 9 rapists. In court, the woman apologized for her remarks, saying she acted out of a “reflex” upon hearing the sickening details of the case.

But, according to the Hamburger #Abendblatt, this woman is not the only person who could be facing a conviction for insulting the rapists.

Authorities in Hamburg are reportedly investigating 140 people for offenses related to issuing “insult, threats, or other detriment” towards the #Stadtpark predators.

Sources:

The Publica Team, https://www.thepublica.com/germany-woman-convicted-of-offending-migrant-gang-rapists-receives-longer-prison-sentence-than-the-rapists/

Christina Schmidt, "Final stop: judge's table" , Weser Kurier, https://www.weser-kurier.de/landkreis-verden/endstation-richtertisch-doc7e3wyi787e013bewxcab