German court orders sentencing revision in sexual assault case

The German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has partially overturned a previous ruling regarding a violent sexual assault involving two men, ordering the Landgericht Gera to re-evaluate the sentencing.

The case stems from an incident in January 2025, where the defendant, who had met the victim via an online platform, attacked the victim in his apartment. The victim sustained several injuries, including a fractured nose and broken ribs. The defendant claimed he believed he was meeting a woman and was shocked to find a man, asserting he had used translation functions to communicate on the platform.

While the BGH upheld the original guilty verdict, it ruled that the previous court had incorrectly applied the legal framework for determining the sentence. Consequently, a different chamber of the Gera District Court must now determine the appropriate quantum of the penalty.