Germany: Augsburg diocese priest's conviction for abusing a dependent becomes final on appeal

Proceedings

1. 2024-03-01 · conviction; final after the Bavarian Supreme Court rejected further appeal

   Amtsgericht Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm (first instance) and Landgericht Ingolstadt (appeal), Bavaria, Germany. A priest of the Diocese of Augsburg was convicted of sexual abuse of a person in his care. The Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm district court sentenced him in March 2023 to eight months' imprisonment; the Ingolstadt regional court modified this on appeal in March 2024 to a suspended sentence with conditions, including €5,000 payable to the victim and €5,000 to charity, plus mandatory continued therapy. On 3 September 2024 the Bavarian Supreme Court in Munich rejected his further appeal as unfounded, making the conviction final. The priest was relieved of his duties; an ecclesiastical investigation continued separately.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• clerical office and pastoral authority over a person in his care