This was only announced on Wednesday – the previously scheduled date for the second day of the trial. All four defendants pleaded not guilty on the first day of the trial in June.
They were accused of, among other things, deprivation of liberty and serious bodily harm. Judge Paul Menardi will now continue the all-day criminal trial on the new date. A cleaner who witnessed the events is then expected to give evidence. The two-hour adversarial interrogation of the alleged victim is also to be reenacted, it was recently announced.
“Cheerful, exuberant atmosphere”
On the first day of the trial on June 6, the question of the extent to which the woman had acted voluntarily and what had been agreed in the morning conference was discussed. A defense attorney said that a “cheerful, exuberant mood prevailed” that only changed when photos were taken of the alleged victim in a kneeling position. One defendant admitted that the situation had gotten out of hand and that the action could have been “excessive.” The prosecutor argued that the woman had said several times that she should be untied. The psychiatric expert Gabriele Wörgötter attested that she had an “adjustment disorder” and stated: “The fact is that the woman was previously healthy enough to cope with her everyday life and job without any problems.” Now she is “unable to work for the time being,” is afraid and suffers from a depressive disorder.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the four defendants, aged 48, 45, 50 and 31, tied their work colleague to an operating table with Velcro straps, kneeling on her stomach and with her legs spread, under the pretext of practicing positioning for an operation. Despite her repeated requests to untie her, she was only untied after the third defendant had drawn an anus and a vagina on her work trousers with a permanent marker. The second and fourth defendants are also said to have taken photos of the woman in this position during this time. The four employees who were suspended after the incident stated at the time that it was a “joke”.
