A court in Munich, Germany, has convicted Chinese student Zhongyi J* (age 28) of aggravated rape and attempted murder, sentencing him to 11 years and three months in prison. The judge described the crimes as "monstrous acts," adding that "we have entered uncharted legal territory." The defendant stated in court in February, "I know I did something terrible and that it has had terrible consequences."

The offenses occurred between February and December 2024, with the defendant accused of drugging and raping his neighbor at least seven times. Prosecutors alleged he knowingly administered life-threatening doses of sedatives and anesthetics. This case echoes the long-term abuse by Dominique Pelicot in France, highlighting patterns of sustained violence.

The trial in Munich is part of a broader investigation into eight members of a Telegram chat group called the "German Driving School." The group, predominantly Chinese men living in Germany, discussed using drugs to sedate women, committing rapes, and sharing recordings of their crimes. Their victims, mostly Chinese women who were partners, colleagues, or acquaintances, were often unaware of the assaults until contacted by police.

In the Telegram group, members used code words like "looking for a car" (searching for a new victim), "fuel" (sedatives), and referred to drugged women as "dead pigs." The group's activities were exposed after its ringleader, Dapeng Z* (based in Frankfurt), began targeting women subletting apartments in early 2024, leading to his arrest in November 2024 following reports from four victims.

Charlotte Hirz, a psychologist at LARA, a resource center for sexualized violence victims in Berlin, told DW that the case starkly illustrates dehumanization, with perpetrators treating victims as "cars or even dead pigs." She noted that online chat groups reinforce misogynistic fantasies, especially without social correction, stating, "If there's no one looking in from the outside... these violent fantasies can gain much more traction."

Germany's Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) plans to criminalize the distribution of images depicting real sexual assaults, as current laws do not penalize possession or viewing. During sentencing, the judge remarked that "this is not a Chinese or French phenomenon, but also a German one. A global one," and noted the 11-year term was lenient due to the defendant's youth, remorse, and victim-offender mediation.

Source: www.dw.com