No defendant – no trial: A gynecologist from Lower Saxony is said to have removed a piece of his wife’s hymen with scissors. However, the 54-year-old doctor did not appear in the Braunschweig regional court at the start of the trial on Monday.
The judge suspended the proceedings after some explanations. The reason for the absence was a certificate that the man was unable to travel.
In his explanations, the judge made it clear that the criminal chamber had considerable doubts about the certificate. According to the court, the medical certificate was issued after a fall in Iraq at the end of last month. The judge also expressed doubts about the information about the 54-year-old defendant’s address in Germany. The public prosecutor’s office requested that an arrest warrant be issued due to the risk of absconding.
In April 2019, according to the court’s preliminary information, the doctor wanted to have sexual intercourse with his bride. Because that didn’t work, he removed a piece of the hymen with scissors. The woman later reported her husband. The doctor’s defense contradicted the view on Monday that there was a risk of absconding. He assumes that his client will be acquitted in this trial, said a defense attorney.
Even without the indictment being read out, it was clearly important to the judge to provide information about the possible accusation of mutilation. According to a preliminary assessment, the chamber does not assume that the offense of mutilation of female genitalia is likely to have been met. Rather, it could be a case of dangerous bodily harm. The court must now decide, among other things, whether to issue an arrest warrant.