Police are conducting 24-hour patrols at the homes of two schoolgirls who fatally stabbed a classmate in a gruesome crime that has shocked Germany over fears of vigilante attacks.
Officers have urged people not to share the names and pictures of the suspects, ages 12 and 13, on social media, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
Images of the girls with the word ‘Murderer’ are available on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook as outrage continues to grow over the fact that both girls will escape justice because they are below the age of criminal responsibility in Germany, which is 14.
Online death threats have been made against the girls and they and their families have been driven from their homes in the sleepy village of Freudenberg near Cologne following the brutal stabbing of 12-year-old Luise Frisch earlier this month. .
Police officers have parked outside the suspects’ homes and it is unlikely their families will ever be able to return.
Luise’s body was found on March 12 in the sleepy town of Freudenberg, near Cologne, a day after her concerned parents reported her missing.
Police (pictured near the scene in Freudenberg) also urged people not to share the names and images of the suspects on social media.
In a statement, the police said: “After the murder in Freudenberg, the prosecutor and the police warn against speculation and the consequent spread of false reports.
“Due to widespread public interest and associated sympathy, rumors about the alleged background to the incident continue to surface. Apparently, there is speculation, especially on social media, that it does not match the current state of the investigation. The need for public information is very high in the present case, but due to the protection of all personal rights by the investigating authorities, detailed information cannot be published.
“Therefore, the prosecutor’s office and the police ask not to participate in any speculation and not to fuel discussions about the background of the incident, also to protect the relatives.”
Luise was stabbed more than 30 times in the attack by her twisted assassins and then her body was pushed down an embankment in an isolated forest.
The suspects even posted a photo of themselves dancing on TikTok the next day just as the police found Luise’s body after her concerned parents raised the alarm.
A private memorial service for her will be held later this week at the Evangelical Church in Freudenberg, where her family worshiped, and will be broadcast to her school for friends.
Meanwhile, despite public anger that both girls will not face criminal trial, judges and the Ministry of Justice have said the law covering the age of responsibility is unlikely to be changed.
This is how murdered German schoolgirl Luise Frisch (right) appears in a TikTok video with a 12-year-old classmate accused of killing her
The 13-year-old suspect also posted a video on TikTok showing her dancing just hours after Luise’s tragic body was found.
Speaking to MailOnline, a senior official at the German Association of Judges warned against a knee-jerk reaction to lowering the country’s age of criminal responsibility.
Law professor Gerd Hamme said “decisions made” during “emotional” events were not a “good basis” for legislative change, as an online petition demanding the law be changed gathered almost 150,000 signatures.
Currently, the age of criminal responsibility in Germany is 14, in Britain it is 10, and the murder of Luise, the first in living memory of a child by children, has sparked much debate about when to stand trial. to a young man
An autopsy carried out at the University of Mainz described it as a “bloody attack and frenzied murder”, all of which have added to calls to change the age limit for children to stand trial.
Professor Hamme said: ‘In Germany, it is the task of the legislator to check whether 14 years is the correct limit for criminal liability. A change seems necessary to me only if the capacities of children and young people and their maturity have changed compared to before.
“I am not aware of this and, in any case, the current moment is very inadequate to make decisions on the modification of the limit of criminal responsibility. Because right now the mood is emotionally very hot. While this is completely understandable, it is not a good basis for reviewing the tried and tested regulations. It is better to approach this with a cool head.
Flowers and candles placed near the spot where Luise’s body was discovered last week
‘In public, there is a discussion about changing the limits of criminal responsibility for Freudenberg’s terrible crime. However, the discussion is characterized not by factual arguments, but by dismay and horror. In my opinion, the legislator should check whether our current regulations are still adequate.
‘However, they should let the Freudenberg case pass for some time before decisions are made. It is true that the two alleged perpetrators cannot be charged by a prosecutor and convicted by a criminal court. However, the State does not sit idly by.
‘Rather, the youth welfare offices in Germany are taking responsibility. There are several parenting measures that can be taken.
‘This goes so far that children can be separated from their families if the need arises. However, there is no way for the children to return to their old normal lives. Nor will they stay in Freudenberg. This is excluded.
‘In any case, there will have to be a change of location. It is also possible that there will be a name change later. However, this will not be decided immediately.
But the comments on the online petition far exceeded Professor Hamme’s opinion, as a change in the law was demanded.
Desiree Engels said: ‘Justice must be done for them, a 12-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy know exactly what is right and what is wrong. They can tell the difference very well.
Monice Bremer said: “Murder is not a trivial crime, everyone had to consider the consequences of their behavior, what kind of monsters are doing something so cruel, what will become of them as adults if there are no consequences.”
The body of Luise Frisch was found in a wooded area near the town of Freudenberg in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia on March 12.
Due to their age, neither of the murderers can be tried under German law and the authorities have moved them and their families out of the area for their own safety.
But a spokesman for the German Justice Ministry told MailOnline it was highly unlikely the law would change after the murder.
The spokesman said: ‘The violent death of a girl is terrible news. It deeply regrets that two little girls appear to have committed this heinous act.
“However, there are currently no plans to lower the existing age limit.”
They added: ‘The question is whether a child can assess his or her actions and their consequences in a given situation, and whether he or she can align his or her behavior with this perception.
‘According to experts in psychology, educational sciences, criminology and, for some years now, neuroscience, children under the age of 14 in general have not yet reached the necessary moral and intellectual maturity.
“Furthermore, criminal punishment cannot be considered an adequate response to the misbehavior of such young children.
‘The principle of human dignity and the responsibility of the State for the upbringing and development of children are important in this regard.’
