Archive · 9 Jan 2026
German Trial Begins for Online Child Abuse Case
A 21-year-old man is on trial in Germany for allegedly making children and teenagers hurt themselves and do bad things online.
This is the first time someone is being tried for murder in Germany when the crime happened in another country.
The man is accused of doing 204 bad things to more than 30 kids from different countries.
The trial is happening behind closed doors because the victims are young and vulnerable.
If the man is found guilty, he could go to jail for up to 10 years.
The trial started on January 9 and will last until December.
The case started when the FBI told German police about a 13-year-old boy who died by suicide in the United States.
A 21-year-old man is on trial in Hamburg for allegedly coercing children to self-harm and commit sexual acts online.
The trial is the first of its kind in Germany for a murder charge linked to a suicide in another jurisdiction.
The defendant faces 204 offences against more than 30 victims aged 11 to 15 from Germany, Canada, Finland, and the United States.
The trial is held in private due to the age and vulnerability of the victims and is scheduled to run until December 2024.
If found guilty, the defendant can only be sentenced to between 6 months and 10 years in prison due to being a minor at the time of the crimes.
- Who
- A 21-year-old man accused of online child abuse
- What
- Trial for murder and attempted murder charges related to online child abuse
- When
- Began on January 9, 2024, and is scheduled to run until December 2024
- Where
- Hamburg, Germany
- Why
- The defendant is accused of coercing children to self-harm and commit sexual acts online, leading to a 13-year-old boy's suicide in the United States
- Defendant's Age
- 21 years old
- Charges
- 1 count of murder, 5 counts of attempted murder, 204 offences
- Victims
- More than 30 victims
- Time Period
- January 2021 to September 2023
- Trial Duration
- Until December with 82 hearings
- Potential Sentence
- 6 months to 10 years in prison
- Jurisdiction
- Hamburg, Germany
- Victim's Age
- 13-year-old boy from the United States