Bern shamed with abuse of 100 children

Bern, Feb 2: This latest case of gross perversion and abuse of the tallest order has shocked residents and people in the city of Bern. A 54 year old Swiss national has been accused of sexually abusing more than 100 handicapped children living in care homes in Switzerland and Germany. The act was carried out over a period of 29 years, according to Swiss police. The man was working as a therapist since 1982.

The details were revealed in a conference given out by Gabriele Berger, head of Bern police's special investigation unit. According to police, the man abused children from nine care homes and later recorded the video of the abuse and took photos of the same. The police however did not divulge details of the man's identity.

The man confessed to sexually abusing 114 mentally challenged children, many of whom were physically challenged as well. He is also charged with attempted abuse in eight cases. The sexual offenses took place inside the care homes during the night or treatments. He also abused children of other staff members of the care homes. The defendant touched the victims' private parts and also engaged in oral sex.

Berger said, "One of the central questions of this investigation is how such levels of abuse could go undetected for so long."

The accused was arrested in April 2010 and was under detention since. Further details of the abuse was not given out then since it was feared that intense media scrutiny would hinder investigation. He was earlier arrested on sexual abuse allegations in 2003, but the investigations were terminated due to conflicting evidence. Authorities plan to reopen the pending cases now.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from agencies)