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CRIME

Rape suspected among children at weight-loss camp

German state prosecutors are investigating reports of rape and sexual abuse among children who were spending several weeks at a weight-loss clinic on the posh North Sea island of Sylt, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Rape suspected among children at weight-loss camp
Photo: DPA

One child’s mother filed a report several weeks ago to report the alleged incidents at the facility, said spokeswoman Ulrike Stahlmann-Liebelt. Possible victims are being questioned to clarify exactly what happened.

“Then we’ll have to see if there are responsible parties,” she said, adding that the authorities were currently investigating “in all directions.”

They are certain, however, that all of the children involved were younger than 14, and thus too young for criminal prosecution.

According to daily Bild, a group of nine to 13-year-olds were involved in a series of rapes at the health clinic on the island town of Westerland in July and August. The game “spin-the-bottle” allegedly degenerated into some of the children being forced into sex, the paper said.

The case is similar to incidents that came to light in July, when eight teenage boys admitted to sexually abusing other younger boy at a summer camp on Dutch island of Ameland.

The attackers allegedly used objects including cola bottles and broomstick handles to sexually assault six boys, all aged about 13. The incidents occurred at the youth dormitory of a holiday camp sponsored by the city of Osnabrück’s municipal sports association.

The incidents led to a debate about the need to improve supervision at summer camps. The Lower Saxony state sporting federation has already announced it will examine further measures for training of supervisors.

DPA/ka

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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