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The trial against a judge from the Kassel judicial district who lives in the Fulda area has begun in the regional court. He is accused of sexually harassing a young colleague. The defendant denies the allegations.
Fulda – Whose representation is correct? That of a young judge who felt sexually harassed and intimidated by a superior for months? Or that of an experienced judge who firmly rejects the allegations? The 1st Large Criminal Chamber of the Fulda Regional Court has been dealing with this question since Tuesday (June 9th).
Richter sits in the dock in Fulda
In the dock sits a 56-year-old judge who most recently worked in the Kassel court district but lives in the Fulda area. The public prosecutor's office accuses him of physically inappropriately touching a probation judge in Kassel several times between September 2023 and February 2025 to have. He also threatened her with a negative assessment, transfer to another court or even dismissal from her job if she refused the advances.
According to senior public prosecutor Yvonne Vockert, the incidents began at the beginning of the activity. The judge felt sexually attracted to the young colleague and made this clear to her. Not only did he send her messages “with highly sexualized, suggestive and harassing content,” but he also touched her buttocks and breasts. The woman was irritated and overwhelmed and felt shame and disgust. Even though she told him that his behavior was not okay, he continued the harassment, according to the indictment.
Because she was intimidated by the threats and feared that she would be transferred from Kassel – to which she is bound for personal reasons – she ultimately “silently tolerated” the defendant's behavior. However, when the judge is said to have grasped her breast with spread fingers in February 2025, she decided to submit a request for a transfer to the regional court in Kassel. The request was granted.
Defense: The defendant did not notice that he was exceeding his colleague's boundaries
The defendant, however, denies the allegations of sexual harassment and coercion. His defense attorney Christoph Dannecker and defense attorney Jenny Mohne gave a three-page “opening statement.” They said their client had learned “with great dismay” that he had apparently overstepped his colleague’s boundaries. He didn't question her feelings at all, but he couldn't recognize this. The defendant did not “remotely assume” that she could even be afraid of him. “He never wanted to cause her any harm.” Instead, there had been “mutual flirtations” and an exchange of messages that also included heart emojis before the incidents.
Attorney Dannecker also spoke of public reports that had appeared in advance, as well as “court gossip” that contained representations “that were far-fetched.” This in turn led to a one-sided investigation and an indictment “with a massive distortion of what actually happened.” Attorney Mohne said that two truths, no matter how different they may be, could possibly stand side by side. She appeared certain: “Our client will be acquitted.”
The alleged injured party was in the courtroom at the start of the trial. She joined the proceedings as a co-plaintiff. However, the public was excluded during her testimony – at the request of the defense. The court approved this because circumstances from the married defendant's personal life as well as “intimate details” would be discussed, explained the presiding judge Dr. Jörg Weddig.
Statement by the co-plaintiff in camera
The fact that the case is being heard before the 1st Large Criminal Chamber of the Fulda Regional Court and that the Giessen public prosecutor's office brought charges – and not the one in Kassel – is due to the special nature of the case. Proceedings against judges are regularly held at a different regional court in order to maintain the court's independence and neutrality.
At the beginning of the hearing, Judge Weddig reported that he had known the defendant for around 20 years. Both of them used to work together at the regional court and are on a first-name basis with each other. He had already disclosed this in a voluntary disclosure, but it was rejected as unfounded.
A total of seven continuation dates are scheduled. If convicted, the accused faces dismissal from his or her position as a judge. The next day of the hearing is Friday, June 12th at 9:30 a.m.
