A concerning international network facilitating sexual violence has emerged, prompting calls for increased cooperation and specialized investigative units. An extensive, multi-year undercover investigation by “STRG_F” and reported by ARD’s “Panorama” has revealed a group of individuals exchanging information, offering advice and sharing videos related to sexual assault – often targeting intimate partners – on public pornography websites and within Telegram groups. The network appears to operate with considerable freedom, allowing suspected perpetrators to connect, trade incapacitating substances and disseminate recordings of their crimes.
The German Federal Association of Criminal Investigators (BDK) is urging authorities to establish immediate investigative collaborations or assign central responsibility to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) to proactively target these networks. The BDK proposes a shift towards proactive investigations, mirroring the approach currently used in investigations targeting pedophile networks.
The investigation uncovered instances of perpetrators, including German nationals, sharing methods for drugging and sexually assaulting women, frequently their spouses or partners. One case highlighted a German man who allegedly drugged and repeatedly assaulted his wife over a 15-year period, publicly posting videos of the crimes on pornography websites.
Journalists brought this network and the suspect’s online activity to the attention of the BKA in July 2023. The BKA subsequently forwarded the information to the Hamburg Police, which did not initiate an investigation for over a year. This delay reportedly had profoundly concerning consequences for the victim. Only after further inquiries from journalists did the Hamburg Police commence an investigation, which was later passed to the Lower Saxony public prosecutor’s office.
The woman only became aware of the years of drugging and sexual assault during a house search at the end of 2024. Investigators reportedly discovered hundreds of concealed tablets within the residence. Describing the events, the victim stated a fear that her husband would eventually harm her fatally. The perpetrator, aged 60, tragically died in an accident prior to a warrant being executed.
The BKA has now issued its own warning regarding the dangers posed by this network, with a “sensitization campaign” on its website describing the perpetrators’ actions as “potentially life-threatening for the victims.
Currently, no specialized unit exists within the BKA to address this specific type of criminal network. The Hamburg Interior Authority has expressed support for the establishment of such a unit. It has also confirmed taking action by examining Telegram group participants, filing criminal charges and forwarding information to relevant authorities in countries including Poland, Finland, Great Britain and the United States.