An Eritrean man is on trial in Germany after allegedly impregnating his 12-year-old daughter while they lived together in a refugee shelter last year.
The disturbing discovery was made in July 2023, after the young woman was taken to the hospital with abdominal pain, where it was discovered that she was five months pregnant.
DNA samples were taken from more than 50 male residents of the migrant accommodation center to try to find the culprit, but it was when the boy’s father refused that suspicions arose.
According to local media, the pregnancy was terminated “at the request of the family.”
The 40-year-old man, known only as A. Tesfalem, appeared before the Giessen regional court in Germany on Wednesday, expressing his regret and saying he was sorry “from the bottom of my heart.”
An Eritrean man is on trial in Gissen, Germany, after allegedly impregnating his 12-year-old daughter while they lived together in a refugee shelter. In the photo: Gissen regional court
But Tesfalem claimed he had no memory of the alleged rape and explained that he had spent the day drinking beer with a friend and was completely drunk.
“I drank too much,” he told the court. ‘From that moment on, I was no longer in my right mind. In fact, it’s true that if someone drinks beyond their means they don’t know what they’re doing.’
The judge, however, noted that the accused had never mentioned being drunk during the investigation.
The girl has reportedly never spoken about what happened to her, but according to Bild, a psychologist who treated her told the court that she was asked if she knew how to make a baby, to which she responded no.
The boy, now 13, was reportedly severely traumatized and now suffers from dissociative behavior, German outlet Breitbart reported.
They have treated her and she is in therapy.
At the time of the alleged crime, Tesfalem, a single father, was living with his daughter in a refugee shelter in Friedberg.
The next court date will take place sometime this month.
The shocking incident comes amid reports that a ten-year-old girl in Mallorca became pregnant after her stepfather allegedly raped her while her mother was at work.
The disturbing revelation was made when the girl began to suffer from belly pain, which led her mother to take her to the Son Llatzer hospital in Palma, the island’s capital.
Doctors initially discovered several bruises and injuries that suggested the girl had been sexually abused before learning she was also several weeks pregnant.
Her mother informed hospital staff that the only person who had cared for the girl was her current partner.
The police were called and the 35-year-old Spaniard was arrested.