Paediatrician in Germany charged with 130 counts of sexual abuse

German prosecutors have charged a paediatrician with 130 counts of sexual abuse, including the rape of children, most of them in his care, in a case that has caused shock and prompted clinics to step up safeguards. The 46-year-old doctor, whose name has not been released, has been in custody since November after a mother suspected her child had been assaulted and notified authorities. The doctor worked in clinics in Brandenburg state, surrounding Berlin. Announcing the charges this week, prosecutors said the alleged crimes were committed between 2013 and 2025. They did not specify how many children were believed to have been abused. “The accused is charged with offences against sexual autonomy in a total of 130 cases. These include allegations of serious sexual abuse of children and rape,” the prosecutor’s office in the state capital, Potsdam, said in a statement on Wednesday. The doctor is alleged to have committed most of the offences “in the course of his professional duties” at clinics operated by the Havelland healthcare group in the Brandenburg towns of Rathenow and Nauen. “The accused remains in pre-trial detention,” the statement said, adding that the charges were brought on 6 May. A regional court in Potsdam will decide whether to proceed to trial. At the time of the paediatrician’s arrest, investigators seized data storage devices believed to contain relevant images. …