German pediatrician accused of child abuse

German prosecutors have charged a pediatrician with 130 counts of sexual abuse, including rape, of children, mostly those under his care, in a case that has caused shock and prompted clinics to step up safety measures, the British Guardian reported.

The 46-year-old doctor, whose name has not been released, has been in custody since November after a mother suspected her child had been assaulted and notified authorities. The doctor worked in clinics in the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin.

Announcing the charges this week, prosecutors said the alleged crimes were committed between 2013 and 2025. They did not specify how many children are considered victims of abuse, the Guardian reported.

"The defendant is charged with crimes against sexual freedom in a total of 130 cases. This includes allegations of serious sexual abuse of children and rape," the prosecutor's office in the state capital, Potsdam, said on Wednesday.

The 46-year-old doctor has been in custody since November after a mother suspected her child had been assaulted and notified authorities.

The doctor, as reported by the British newspaper, is suspected of committing most of the crimes "in the course of performing professional duties" at clinics run by the Haveland healthcare group, in the Brandenburg towns of Rathenow and Nauen.

“The defendant remains in custody,” the statement said, adding that the indictment was filed on May 6. The Potsdam Regional Court will decide whether the case will proceed to trial.

At the time of the pediatrician's arrest, investigators seized data storage devices believed to contain relevant recordings.

The newspaper "Bild" reported that the mother's complaint came after her child was allegedly attacked while being treated in the pediatric ward of the Ratenovo hospital.

After the case came to light in January, the Haveland Kliniken group said it was conducting an internal review with the help of experts. It said it had found that the "four-eyes protocol," which requires two people to be present during a child's examination, was not always followed.

“The allegations in the indictment undermine the trust of patients and their families,” said the group’s medical director, Mike Lesnau.

After the indictment was announced, the group issued a second statement, saying it would “fully support” prosecutors and provide all relevant information. “Our sympathies are with any patients who may have suffered harm, as well as their families,” the group said.

In France last May, a former surgeon, then 74, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a three-month trial for sexually abusing hundreds of patients, mostly under the age of 15 - in the largest child abuse trial in the country's history.

Joel Le Squarnec worked as a digestive surgeon in public and private hospitals throughout Brittany and western France, often operating on children suffering from appendicitis.

He is accused of 111 rapes and 189 sexual assaults committed between 1989 and 2014 in a dozen hospitals. Many of the children he abused were under anesthesia or waking up after surgery. Some were attacked in hospital beds. The average age of the victims was 11 years old.

The verdict has further increased pressure on the French government to address shortcomings in the healthcare and justice systems.