Fernando P., a 61-Year-Old German School Janitor, Was Convicted of Drugging, Raping, and Filming His Wife Over the Years
German court jails man for drugging, raping and filming wife for years
A German court has convicted a man of repeatedly drugging, raping, and secretly filming his wife over a period of years, before distributing the footage online — a case that has drawn disturbing parallels to a notorious sexual violence trial in France.
The defendant, identified as Fernando P., a 61-year-old school janitor, was found guilty of carrying out the abuse inside the couple’s home, recording the assaults without his wife’s knowledge, and sharing the videos on internet platforms.
On Friday, a court in Aachen, in western Germany, sentenced him to eight years and six months in prison. The court stated that an appeal may be lodged within one week of the ruling.
In its judgment, the court said the man violated “the most intimate sphere of private life and personal rights through image recordings in 34 cases,” including four cases that coincided with aggravated rape and dangerous bodily harm. He was also convicted of aggravated sexual coercion and sexual assault.
“The defendant repeatedly and secretly sedated and sexually abused his wife in the marital home,” the court said in a statement. “He filmed the acts and made the recordings available to other users in group chats and on internet platforms.”
Prosecutors accused Fernando P. of crimes spanning nearly 15 years. The court ultimately found him guilty of offenses committed between 2018 and 2024.
He was acquitted on several additional charges, though the court did not disclose details regarding those counts.
The verdict comes exactly one year after a French court convicted Dominique Pelicot of aggravated rape. Pelicot had solicited dozens of strangers through an online chatroom over nearly a decade to rape and abuse his then-wife, Gisèle. In that case, 49 additional men were also convicted of rape or sexual assault.
The Pelicot case shocked the international community and triggered a broader reckoning in France over gender-based violence, consent, and entrenched misogyny.
‘A Very Significant Case’
The Aachen case is believed to be the first of its kind to be prosecuted in Germany, according to the advocacy group Nur Ja Heisst Ja — translated as “Only Yes Means Yes” — which campaigns to reform how rape and consent are defined under German law.
Last year, investigative journalists in Hamburg uncovered evidence of another man who allegedly shared videos for 14 years showing the drugging and rape of his wife on an adult website. That individual, however, was never charged and died in 2024.
An activist from Nur Ja Heisst Ja, identified as Jill S., described the Aachen case as “very significant,” explaining that it exposes serious shortcomings in Germany’s legal framework. She requested that her full name not be used due to fears of online harassment.
“This case really shows where the gaps in our legal system are,” she said ahead of the verdict.
Under German law, consent has historically been interpreted through a “no means no” standard. Campaigners argue that this framework fails victims who are incapacitated, drugged, or otherwise unable to resist verbally, as was the case in Aachen.
The group is calling on lawmakers to adopt a “yes means yes” standard, asserting that current laws continue to place an unfair burden on victims to prove resistance rather than requiring clear, affirmative consent.
“Like many issues related to sexual violence, it’s simply not taken seriously enough by those in power,” Jill S. said.
The Aachen case has also brought renewed attention to another controversial issue: the fact that possession of rape content is not currently illegal in Germany.
Advocates hope that could soon change. Kathrin Wahlmann, the justice minister in the state of Lower Saxony, has launched a regional initiative aimed at criminalizing the possession of such material.
‘An Online University of Violence’
Across the border in France, lawmakers are also pushing for stronger protections against this type of abuse.
French legislator Sandrine Josso says current laws have failed to keep pace with the realities of modern, technology-driven violence. For her, the issue is deeply personal.
In November 2023, Josso alleged that she was drugged at a party by French Senator Joël Guerriau, who was 66 at the time. She filed a criminal complaint, and a trial is scheduled to begin in January. Guerriau has denied the allegations.
Josso has argued that existing legal frameworks do not adequately account for the role the internet plays in facilitating sexual abuse.
“Today’s laws are not sufficiently grounded in reality,” she said, pointing to the way online communities enable abusers to exchange tactics, refine methods, and normalize violence.
“Social media and online forums allow these ecosystems to grow,” she explained. “Men share tips, professionalize their abuse, and encourage one another. That’s what makes it so deeply alarming.”
Both Fernando P. and Dominique Pelicot shared footage of their alleged crimes online.
Josso described platforms hosting such material as an “online university of violence,” where perpetrators learn how to drug partners and celebrate the sharing of abuse footage.
In Germany, Jill S. echoed those concerns, saying both governments and online platforms must be held accountable for allowing such content to circulate unchecked.
“The most disturbing part is how safe these men felt,” she said. “They uploaded the material, stored thousands of videos at home, and acted as though they would never be held responsible.”
She hopes the Aachen verdict will help dismantle that sense of impunity — and mark a turning point toward accountability for abusers who rely on secrecy, technology, and legal loopholes to commit violence.