German ‘babysitter’ on trial in huge child sexual abuse case

BERLIN (AP) — A 45-year-old German man who had offered babysitting services online has gone on trial in the western city of Cologne accused of almost 100 counts of child sexual abuse. German news agency dpa reported that prosecutors told the Cologne regional court that the man documented the abuse of babies, children and teenagers, and shared videos and images of “unimaginable brutality” with dozens of people. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 15 years imprisonment followed by continued security confinement if the man, whose name wasn’t released for privacy reasons, is convicted. In a separate case Tuesday, four men were convicted by a court in Frankfurt for their involvement in an online platform known as “Boystown” that was used to share images of child sexual abuse.