The Arnsberg Regional Court has sentenced 33-year-old Mokhtar B. to many years in prison for multiple rape and assault. The Moroccan had severely abused and threatened his then pregnant partner in Soest – sometimes on public property in the town park. He tried to justify his actions with Sharia, Islamic law. The 4th Grand Criminal Chamber of the Arnsberg Regional Court, presided over by Judge Petja Pagel, handed down a prison sentence of eight years and seven months to the accused on Wednesday, September 18. The court considered it proven that the 33-year-old Moroccan had raped and abused his former girlfriend on several occasions. These included beatings, threats with a switchblade knife, coercion and theft. The court considered the rapes and sexual assaults committed by the accused against his ex-girlfriend to be particularly serious, although the accused was also found to be partially guilty because the Moroccan man was under the influence of drugs during some of the eight offences. Due to this drug use, the court is of the opinion that the Moroccan man suffered from the delusion that his girlfriend was cheating on him.
This had been the reason for the threats of beatings and rape. The presiding judge repeatedly described their relationship as ‘toxic’. What was particularly shocking, however, was the defendant’s complete lack of awareness of wrongdoing.
Over the course of the trial, which lasted several weeks, Mokhtar B. explained that his honour had been wounded, which is why he felt justified in beating and threatening his partner. In doing so, he invoked the rules of Sharia, Islamic law. This term covers all laws and norms that are derived from the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. The Sunnah is a large collection of traditions about the behaviour and sayings of Prophet Mohammed.
During the sentencing, however, Mokhtar B. showed hardly any emotion. In between, the defendant yawned several times and appeared obviously tired. The man accepted the judgement without any visible reaction.
The public prosecutor’s office had demanded ten years in prison. The court also rejected the prosecution’s demand for preventive detention to follow the prison sentence. Prosecutor Nicole Kuni was nevertheless satisfied with the judgement.
However, the judgement is not yet legally binding. The accused’s defence lawyer announced that he would consider an appeal in order to examine the verdict for possible legal errors. He had argued in favour of a prison sentence of four and a half years.
Vergewaltiger rechtfertigt Taten mit der Scharia – keine Emotionen bei Urteil (soester-anzeiger.de)