A 61-year-old German man has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison after being found guilty of drugging and raping his unconscious wife over several years, secretly recording the attacks, and sharing the videos online.
Fernando P, a school janitor, carried out the assaults in their home in Aachen, western Germany. The court found that he violated “the most intimate sphere of private life and personal rights” through image recordings in 34 cases, including four cases that involved aggravated rape and dangerous bodily harm.
The sentencing follows a lengthy trial that revealed the systematic nature of his abuse and the exploitation of his wife through online dissemination of the videos.
This case comes a year after a similar conviction in France, where Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of recruiting dozens of men to assault his wife over nearly a decade. The Pelicot case led to convictions for 49 other men and sparked a national conversation on gender-based violence and misogyny.
Fernando P’s conviction underscores the ongoing challenges in addressing domestic and sexual violence, particularly where digital exploitation amplifies the abuse.
