Gender Attack Case of Chinese National in Germany: Defendant Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

In Berlin, the capital of Germany, a highly disturbing trial regarding the Telegram group named "Almanya Eski Şoförler Sürüş Kursu", which caused a massive outcry within the Chinese diaspora community, has concluded. The court sentenced the defendant, Zhiting S., who has a medical background, to a total of 5 years in prison for aiding sexual crimes and making serious sexual threats. The defendant being found guilty by the court, which announced its final verdict after the inevitably lengthy legal process, shed light on a multinational crime network. The defense lawyer stated that the legal battle would continue in the subsequent stages of the trial by announcing they would appeal the decision.

The President of the Berlin Court, Thilo Bartl, stated that the defendant was declared 'guilty in advance' in the public eye by media organizations in China before being convicted, and that it is highly likely he would face severe social sanctions upon his return to his country. The court, noting that this situation made the defendant's return to his homeland almost impossible, emphasized that news from the Turkish media and the international press should be evaluated as evidence. Furthermore, it was learned that factors such as the 'social death' and loss of reputation the defendant faced in China were considered mitigating circumstances during the sentencing process in Germany. The defense argued that the leaking of the defendant's identity and private life by Chinese media organizations created a pre-trial lynching culture, even for an uncommitted crime.

Zhiting S.'s crimes are considered part of a broad criminal network spanning various countries, involving the use of incapacitating substances for the purpose of sexual assault. The court found the defendant guilty by proving three separate sexual assault incidents committed against his fiancée at a hotel in Beijing in 2020 and 2021. Authorities stated that during the incidents, the fiancée was unconscious and unresisting, noting that the defendant used his medical knowledge to render the victim helpless. Additionally, it was determined that the defendant provided medical advice to other accomplices via Telegram on how to carry out similar attacks and shared information on how to obtain prescription drugs.

According to the case file, other members of the criminal organization, such as Zhang Dapeng and Jiang Zhongyi, were also sentenced to long prison terms in Germany for similar crimes. Zhang received a 14-year prison sentence for crimes including incapacitating women for sexual assault and filming these acts to share on social media. Jiang was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison for seven counts of attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm, and sexual assault. Court President Bartl emphasized that this trend is highly concerning, stating that sexual crimes have become a new 'group phenomenon' where they are now bragged about and encouraged over the internet.

This case stands out not only as the punishment of a criminal but also as an example of how modern communication tools and international public opinion interact with judicial processes. The Berlin Court reached its verdict based on digital evidence and video recordings seized from the crime scene, even though the defendant's fiancée refrained from testifying. The judge, when determining the sentence, cited the defendant's premeditation of the events, his abuse of medical expertise, and his view of women merely as objects as aggravating factors. This historic ruling also opened a debate on the limits of the justice system and the influence of the media in dismantling internationally operating crime networks.