They wanted to enjoy a summer day together and were harassed several times by a German. Two girls, both 12 years old, were together in the Mannenweiher in St. Gallen am Baden in 2019 when a man (30) suddenly approached them. He dived between the girls and pushed them apart. He tickled one of the girls on the sole of the foot.
But that’s not all: When the two teenagers swam away, the German followed them to a tree trunk, where he grabbed one of the two by the bottom. A few days later there was a second incident between the girl and the German. The 30-year-old appeared next to the girls and ran his hand over the inside of the thigh near the bikini bottoms of one of the girls. The parents of the children then report it.
It happened accidentally
Now the Grüsel had to appear in court. There the German defended his behavior: out of boredom, he had come up with the idea of playing “shark” with the girls present. In retrospect it became clear to him that it was a “stupid idea”, like the “St.Galler Tagblatt»Reported.
He accidentally touched the girls on the thighs and buttocks. When he touched the genital area of one of the girls, he was shocked and immediately apologized.
The public prosecutor demanded that the German should be punished for multiple sexual acts with a child to a conditional fine of 120 daily rates of 110 francs. To do this, the man should leave Switzerland for five years. In addition, a lifelong ban on working with children is to be ordered.
The punishment is much milder
The judgment of the District Court of St.Gallen, on the other hand, was milder. The German can stay in Switzerland. He was fined 900 francs for sexual harassment. The German must pay the procedural costs of CHF 12,272.
The court considered the allegation that the accidental contact was made as a protective claim by the accused.
Nevertheless, the judge described the incident as “rather slight fault”. Expulsion from the country is out of the question, since the offense of sexual harassment is merely an offense.
The court also refrained from issuing a ban on working with children. (gin)