"Admits All Crimes Saying 'I Hate Myself'"
The Kidnapped Baby Is Currently Being Raised by Aunt in Ukraine
A German couple has been brought to trial on charges of murdering a Ukrainian refugee mother and daughter. They confessed that they committed the murder out of greed to take and raise the newborn baby girl. Yonhap News reported, "On the 7th (local time), local media Zeit and SWR broadcast, among others, reported that the trial of a couple in their 40s accused of murder and abduction of a minor was held in Germany." According to the report, at the first hearing held at the Mannheim District Court, the couple admitted to all charges, blaming themselves as "disgusting."
The couple living in Sandhausen, southwestern Germany, was arrested in September last year on charges of killing a 27-year-old Ukrainian woman and her 51-year-old mother with a blunt weapon on March of the previous year and disposing of their bodies in a lake. The couple secretly gave sedatives to the newborn's grandmother and mother and lured them one by one to abduct the victim's daughter, who was only five weeks old at the time. They stated that they had long harbored a desire to have a daughter as their motive for the crime.
They joined a Telegram channel connecting Ukrainian refugees and local residents to find their target. They connected with the victim mother and daughter who were living in refugee accommodation. The mother and daughter were looking for an interpreter volunteer ahead of childbirth. Before the crime, the couple collected photos of newborn girls and parents' personal information from hospital websites and told those around them that they planned to get pregnant months ago. After disposing of the victims' bodies, traces were found that they gave a new name to the baby left alone and discussed whether breastfeeding was possible. The baby, who lost her mother and was abducted, is currently being raised by her aunt in Ukraine. The baby was not injured or harmed when found by authorities.
Meanwhile, according to data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in early 2023, since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, about 8 million Ukrainian refugees have entered other European countries. After the outbreak, about 18 million Ukrainians fled the war, and about 9.9 million returned to their homeland. The country hosting the most Ukrainian refugees is Poland, which accepted about 1.5 million Ukrainians. This is followed by Germany (about 1 million), the Czech Republic (about 486,000), Italy (about 169,000), Spain (about 161,000), the United Kingdom (about 158,000), Bulgaria (about 152,000), France (about 118,000), and Romania (about 113,000). Russia, where more than 2 million Ukrainians mainly entered in the early stages of the war, is not included in this ranking.
Among the approximately 8 million Ukrainians staying in Europe, about 4.84 million are officially registered in refugee protection programs of various countries. More than 3 million people are still outside the institutional protection of refugee-hosting countries or are waiting after applying for protection. In particular, UNHCR pointed out that 86% of the total refugee population who left Ukraine are women and children, who are at risk of being exposed to crime or threats if they do not receive timely protection.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
