German court sentences rapist who wore wolf mask to 12 years

BERLIN (AP) — A German court on Tuesday convicted a man of raping an 11-year-old girl while wearing a wolf mask and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

During the state court trial in Munich, the 45-year-old defendant admitted dragging the girl into bushes in broad daylight and assaulting her in June 2019.

The man already had a criminal record for sexual offenses and previously been ordered into psychiatric care, German news agency dpa reported.

The Munich court ordered that he should remain in custody after he serves the 12-year sentence, a legal option sometimes used in Germany when criminal defendants are deemed to be dangerous offenders.

Prosecutors had sought a 14-year sentence, while the defense had asked for the man to be sent to a psychiatric hospital, arguing that his legal responsibility was diminished by mental illness.