A paediatrician at a hospital near Berlin has been charged with sex offences in 130 cases, many of which are said to have taken place at the hospital, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
The extent of the offences, which include serious sexual abuse of children and rape, had previously been unknown. The paediatrician has been in pre-trial custody since November, with prosecutors citing a risk of reoffending as a reason for the man's continued detention.
In January, it became known that the doctor was alleged to have sexually abused a child while on duty at the hospital in Rathenow, west of Berlin. Following a complaint by the child’s mother, the police carried out searches, with investigators seizing numerous data storage devices.
The Potsdam public prosecutor’s office then investigated whether there were further victims.
The 130 offences charged on May 6 are alleged to have taken place between early December 2013 and November 2025, according to the prosecutor’s office. "The accused is alleged to have committed the majority of the offences in the course of his professional duties," the office said.
The Havelland Kliniken, a group that runs several hospitals in the region including the one in Rathenow, has said that the accusations are undermining the trust of patients, and set up a hotline for people to call in with tip-offs.
Prosecutors kept silent on the case for months, and did not provide further details when announcing the charges on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the regional court in Potsdam said the court's press office had yet to receive the case file and would refrain from answering questions until then.
The Havelland Kliniken said back in January that they would review protective measures at the group's clinics.
In the case of the child reported in January, the hospital group said its protocol, which calls for a third person to attend a paediatric examination, had been violated.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, the hospital group said it was "deeply shocked by the seriousness of the allegations" as well as "by the scale of the case, which has now come to our attention."
It said it would continue to investigate the matter thoroughly, adding that its child protection policy has become an integral part of contracts for new recruits.
Staff members who have regular contact with underage patients must submit an extended certificate of good conduct every three years, according to the group. "In this way, we aim to provide additional safeguards and further develop our existing safeguarding mechanisms."
