German paediatrician charged with dozens of sex offences

A paediatrician at a hospital near Berlin has been charged with sex offences in 130 cases, including serious sexual abuse of children and rape, many of which are said to have taken place at the hospital, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The paediatrician has been in pre-trial detention since November. The extent of the offences was previously unknown. Prosecutors cited a risk of reoffending as a reason for the man's pre-trial detainment.

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 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.