A leading German police association is calling for a coordinated effort to combat a network of internationally organized perpetrators of sexual violence, following an investigative report highlighting the scale of the problem. The report, compiled by ARD’s “Panorama” magazine in collaboration with “STRG_F” details a disturbing online ecosystem where suspected perpetrators share tactics, trade in incapacitating substances and disseminate videos depicting sexual assault.
The network operates on public pornography websites and within Telegram groups, facilitating connections and the exchange of information on how to drug and assault women, often their partners. The report uncovered evidence of a German national who allegedly drugged and repeatedly assaulted his wife over a 15-year period, posting videos of the crimes on pornography platforms.
Jan Reinecke, from the German Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter (BDK), emphasized the need for urgent investigative collaboration or a central authority within the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) to address the issue proactively. He drew a parallel to the existing approach used to investigate networks of individuals involved in child sexual abuse offenses, advocating for similar, proactive investigation of these perpetrator networks.
The investigative team brought the matter to the BKA’s attention in July 2023, alerting them to the suspect’s online activity and the broader network. The BKA subsequently forwarded the information to the Hamburg Police, who initially failed to launch an investigation – a delay that reportedly had serious consequences for the victim. It wasn’t until the investigative journalists followed up that the police initiated inquiries, ultimately passing the case to the public prosecutor’s office in Lower Saxony.
The victim only became aware of the years of drugging and sexual assault during a house search conducted at the end of 2024. According to the victim, investigators discovered hundreds of concealed pills within the residence. She expressed fears that her husband might have eventually killed her. Tragically, the 60-year-old suspect died in an accident before a warrant could be executed.
The BKA has now issued a public awareness campaign on its website, warning of the “potentially life-threatening danger” posed by the network’s activities. Currently, there is no dedicated central authority within the BKA specifically tasked with investigating such networks. The Hamburg police have publicly supported the establishment of such a specialized unit. The Hamburg Interior Authority also confirmed actions taken, stating that participants in a Telegram group were investigated and reports were filed with relevant authorities in multiple countries including Poland, Finland, Great Britain and the United States.
