The 56-year-old instructor, Frank E., is accused of committing the abuse over the course of more than 15 years, the daily newspaper Berliner Morgenpost reported. To date, five girls and one boy have been identified as victims of the instructor.

The accused instructor is from Reckahn, southwest of Potdam, and runs a horse and carriage riding farm in the area, the paper said.

The most recent abuse reportedly took place a few months ago, and at the end of June the father of one of the alleged victims filed a complaint against the instructor, setting off an investigation into the case, the paper reported.

When police searched the home and farm of the accused instructor, they reportedly found substantial proof of the abuse, as well as clues to other cases. The alleged victims were between the ages of 9 and 15, and prosecutors are charging the man with at least one case of severe sexual abuse, according to the Morgenpost.

On July 10, a judge ordered that the man be held pending trial, and he will remain in detention until his trial begins at the district court in Potsdam, the paper reported. A trial date has not yet been set.

The Local/mbw