Berlin Serial Rapist Sentenced to Twelve Years' Imprisonment and Preventive Detention

The Berlin Regional Court sentenced 69-year-old Frank S. on 28 October 2026 to twelve years in prison and ordered subsequent preventive detention (Sicherungsverwahrung) after finding him guilty of rape, aggravated assault, and violations of personal privacy through filming. The trial covered 14 victims and 22 criminal acts committed between 2016 and 2022. The court stated it had "no doubts about the dangerousness of the defendant." S., an electrician from the Berlin district of Lichtenberg, met women aged between 50 and 60 on online dating platforms, drawing them to his apartment by posing variously as a pilot or a detective. He mixed sedating substances into drinks such as cocktails, then assaulted the incapacitated women while filming the attacks and storing the recordings methodically. Presiding judge Jakob Weber said: "The images show how drastic the events were." The victims only learned what had happened to them when police informed them years later. S. was ordered to pay 30,000 euros each to two of the co-plaintiffs and 15,000 euros to a third. Investigations into allegations involving 44 further potential victims are continuing. The verdict is not yet legally binding.