Accused of Raping Female Hospital Patients Under Anaesthesia, German Doctor Goes on Trial

BERLIN (AP) – A doctor went on trial in Germany on Wednesday accused of raping several female patients at a hospital in the western city of Guetersloh.

Prosecutors allege that the defendant administered anesthetics to women who complained of pain following operations, and then sexually abused them.

German news agency dpa reported that presiding judge Carsten Wahlmann urged the defendant to consider responding to the allegations during the trial and warned the 43-year-old that he faces more than ten years imprisonment if convicted.

The incidents are alleged to have taken place between September and December last year, just months after the assistant doctor began working at the hospital. The defendant’s name wasn’t released for privacy reasons.