German ‘babysitter’ convicted in major child sex abuse case

BERLIN (AP) — A 45-year-old German man who had offered babysitting services online has been convicted of sexually abusing children. The case shocked even veteran investigators and led them to uncover numerous other abuse suspects. The regional court in Cologne on Tuesday sentenced the defendant, whose name wasn’t released for privacy reasons, to 14 years and six months in prison. It also ordered him held in secure confinement after the end of his sentence. Prosecutors had asked the court to impose a 15-year sentence. Investigators said the man had documented the abuse of babies, children and teenagers, and shared videos and images of “unimaginable brutality” with dozens of people. The defendant admitted to the allegations during the trial and described them as “despicable.”