Swiss care worker arrested for sexual abuse of 122 individuals

Swiss care worker arrested for sexual abuse of 122 individuals

2011-02-02 01:33:18 GMT+7 (ICT)

BERN, SWITZERLAND (BNO NEWS) -- A Swiss social worker on Tuesday was arrested for alleged sexual abuse of 122 children and adults, the Tribune de Genève newspaper reported.

The unnamed 54-year-old worker is accused of abusing disabled children and adults at the nine care homes in which he worked. He admitted the abuse of 114 individuals and the attempted abuse of 8 more.

The defendant is a native and resident of Overland, a region near the city of Bern. He has worked as a social worker for the last 29 years. The accused admitted being a pedophile.

The nine care homes are based in Bern, except two in Germany. His victims were mostly young men who were mentally or physically disabled. The youngest victim was only one year old.

The sexual offenses took place inside the care homes during the night or treatments. He also abused children of other staff members. The defendant touched the victims' genitalia and also engaged in oral sex.

The investigation began in the winter of 2009. Bern police gathered evidence in 18 cases that include photos and films. Two victims told relatives about the sexual encounters with a staff member and subsequently the police was informed.

The accused has no criminal record for sexual offenses and was exonerated in 2003 due to conflicting evidence over allegations of sexual abuse of a 13-year-old disabled girl. The case has been reopened.

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