German couple jailed for selling son on darknet to pedophiles

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A German couple was sentenced on Tuesday to 12 years in jail and more for sexually abusing their now 10-year-old son and selling him on the darknet to pedophiles.

The case shocked investigators and the entire country, and raised pointed questions about the competence of child protection services.

The regional court in Freiburg convicted the couple of rape, aggravated sexual assault of children, forced prostitution and distribution of child pornography.

The boy's mother, Berrin Taha, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison.

Her partner Christian Lais, the boy's stepfather, received a 12-year sentence followed by preventive detention.

The couple was also ordered to pay a total of 42,500 euros ($49,200) in damages to the boy and another victim, a girl who was temporarily in their care.

The Spanish defendant covers his face as he arrives in the courtroom in Freiburg, Germany, August 6, 2018. /VCG Photo

The judges found that the unemployed couple had sexually assaulted the boy numerous times and pimped him on the so-called darknet between May 2015 and August 2017.

They charged several thousand euros for each instance of abuse, filmed the acts and posted them on the darknet.

Local judicial and child services officials came in for massive criticism for having interviewed the mother after concerns about the boy's welfare arose months before the couple's arrest but failing to get his own account.

Key information about the case was not shared among authorities, and warnings from the boy's school about his wellbeing were dismissed by youth services as "vague."

Lais, 39, was also allowed to live in their home despite a previous conviction for child abuse and a court order to stay away from minors.

On Monday, the court in Freiburg also sentenced a Spanish man, Javier Gonzalez Diaz, to 10 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing the young boy after paying the parents. The 33-year-old was also ordered to pay 18,000 euros to the young victim.

The boy is in foster care and did not have to testify during the trial. His lawyer told reporters Tuesday that he was doing well "under the circumstances."

Taha said through her lawyer that she would not appeal, in order to spare her son an even longer legal ordeal.

(Top picture: Berrin Taha (L) and Christian Lais (R) wait with their lawyer for their sentence in the district court in Freiburg, Germany, August 7, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP