Salzgitter woman sentenced for false accusations in Josephine R. case

A 32-year-old woman from Salzgitter has been sentenced to one year and ten months of probation by the Braunschweig District Court for making false accusations in the widely known Josephine R. abuse case.

The defendant admitted to fabricating claims of massive sexual assaults, which led to several wrongful convictions. Her false testimony caused a couple—the mother and stepfather of her ex-partner, Josephine R.—to spend 684 days in prison. The mother had previously been sentenced to 13.5 years and the stepfather to 9.5 years before the Federal Court of Justice overturned the convictions in March 2024.

The woman also admitted to a previous false confession regarding abuse against Josephine R., for which she had served four years in prison. She stated her actions were driven by an emotional dependency on her ex-partner and a fear of being abandoned. She faces additional charges including serious deprivation of liberty, false accusation, and perjury.