Criminals’ privacy: Germany finally posts wanted photo of suspect FOUR MONTHS after crime
Germany's bizarre obsession with privacy laws and the rights of criminals over victims has led to wanted photos of a foreigner wanted for attempted rape being released only this week - over FOUR months after the crime.
Suspected man seen on CCTV in Berlin underground
The pictures show the suspected Arab or North African man wearing an Adidas T-shirt and carrying a bottle of beer caught on CCTV cameras in the Berlin underground.
He was seen on the day that a 15-year-old girl was followed to her home in the capital's suburb of Spandau on September 6 last year.
There, say police, he attempted to rape her in the corridor of the block of flats where she lived. Her screams alerted other residents in the building who came out to see what was happening, scaring the attackers away.
Now media and feminist groups are questioning why it took four months for the police to issue the images. If the man is a refugee, he may have several identities anyway and will have gone to ground long ago.
Some are questioning why the suspect's picture has only just been released 4 months after his crime
An attempted murder is a much more serious crime than an attempted rape
But a Berlin police spokesman said; "Publishing a photo of a suspected perpetrator is a deeper engagement in the personality rights of the offender and must therefore be requested by a prosecutor and approved by a judge after all other existing discovery steps were exhausted."
Yet it took the police only one day to issue photos of seven refugee youths who tried to set fire to a homeless man in the underground at Christmas. One day later all of them were in custody having surrendered because their faces were in every newspaper and on every TV news broadcast.
Police spokesman Winfried Wenzel went on: "An attempted murder is a much more serious crime than an attempted rape.
An attempted murder is a much more serious crime than an attempted rape, says police spokesman
"It was reasonable to assume that little usable traces could be found at the fire scene. In the case of attempted rape there are testimonies, evidence of witnesses, which must be pursued."
And he added: "Ultimately it is an individual decision, when a public investigation with photos is requested."
A spokeswoman branded the police disgraceful for keeping criminals identity anonymous
One women's group spokeswoman in Berlin told local media: "It is disgraceful that police think they are somehow harming the civic rights of this dangerous individual by keeping his identity secret. It is about time Germany thought more about the victims of crime than the criminals."
#A woman who was followed home from a disco in the western town of Kleve by an asylum seeker who punched her in the face on Sunday morning is continuing to recover.
Germany: Berlin police caused 'rebellion' in case of alleged sexual abuse of 13 y/o - lawyer
The 23-year-old woman was saved by her father who she managed to call as the man followed her. He was on top of her and trying to rape her when her father arrived to save her.
The Syrian refugee is now in custody awaiting trial on sex and assault charges.