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CRIME

Swiss weatherman not guilty of rape

A Swiss weatherman who is one of Germany's best-known television personalities was acquitted of raping a girlfriend Tuesday in a case that riveted the country and raised questions about media coverage of high-profile trials.

Published: 1 June 2011 11:59 CEST

The regional court in the southwestern city of Mannheim found presenter Jörg Kachelmann, 52, not guilty of sexually assaulting his partner at knife-point after an argument.

Presiding judge Michael Seidling said as he read out the verdict to applause from the packed courtroom that the prosecution had failed to make its case beyond a reasonable doubt during the eight-month-long trial.

“None of the evidence is in itself sufficient to prove the guilt or even the innocence of the accused,” he said, as Kachelmann listened impassively.

Seidling added that Kachelmann was entitled to compensation for the four months he spent in pretrial detention as well as his legal costs.

Prosecutors said they were weighing whether to appeal.  

Kachelmann was popular throughout the German-speaking world for his rollicking weather reports on public broadcaster ARD before his shock arrest last year.

The accuser, a now 38-year-old radio presenter with whom he had an on-again, off-again relationship for 13 years, had alleged that Kachelmann attacked her in her apartment after a dispute over another woman.

She testified that he held a kitchen knife with an eight-centimetre (three-inch) blade to her throat and raped her.

But doubts soon surfaced about her account, along with allegations that prosecutors had ignored exculpatory evidence while building their case.

Critics said the blanket media coverage of the accusations against Kachelmann as well his affairs with several other women had destroyed his career before a verdict could be delivered.

Meanwhile women’s rights groups said the intense scrutiny of the accuser in the press would keep victims of sexual assault from going to the police.

Judge Seidling noted that the trial had left its mark on both sides.   

“We are dismissing both the accused and the accuser with a suspicion that can perhaps never be lifted – he as a potential rapist, and she as a potential vengeful liar,” he said.

Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger was also strongly critical of the attention given to the case.

She said the presumption of innocence was “in danger if the media deliver their verdict long before the judges have spoken,” in an interview with the daily Passauer Neue Presse.

The burly Kachelmann with a lilting Swiss accent had been a fixture on ARD newscasts since 2002 and had a major following for his fanciful descriptions of precipitation, clouds and the jet stream.

He became an Internet phenomenon two years ago when a large tabby cat wandered onto the set during a broadcast and he scooped it into his arms and continued his report. The clip drew more than 1.1 million hits on YouTube.

The alleged rape occurred just before Kachelmann left to help cover the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He was arrested at Frankfurt airport upon his return from Canada.

ARD said it would decide whether to put Kachelmann back on the air pending an appeal when the verdict is final.

For members

CRIME

‘Your permit is invalid’: Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

Scores of foreign residents have received an email recently telling them their residency rights in Switzerland have been revoked.

Published: 26 April 2024 11:17 CEST
Updated: 2 May 2024 15:04 CEST
'Your permit is invalid': Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

A number of foreign nationals, especially in the German-speaking part of the country, have received an official-looking letter, purportedly from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) informing them that the Free Movement of People agreement between Switzerland and the EU has been nullified, and therefore “your residence permit is no longer valid.”

Faced with enquiries from concerned recipients, SEM responded that the letter is fake, advising recipients to ignore it and, above all, not to click on the QR code on the top.

“Fake letters from the SEM have been circulating since the beginning of this week,” the immigration authority said on its website as well as on X (formerly Twitter).  

“The letter has no impact on the recipient’s  residence status,” SEM added.

Fake jobs, real threats

However, this is only the latest scam perpetrated in the name of SEM.

There have been others in the past.

For instance, many foreigners have also received emails from addresses swissimmigration@consultant or eu_immigration@consultant, that pretend to be the Swiss immigration authority.

“In most cases, a fictitious job in the hotel industry is offered, with the senders demanding payment of 300 to 1,000 euros for a permit in Switzerland and for health and accident insurance,” SEM reported.

The first clue that this email doesn’t come from  SEM, which is part of Switzerland’s government, is that it is asking for payment in euros. If the scammers were smarter, they’d demand Swiss francs.

“These e-mails do not come from the SEM and should be considered as an attempt at fraud,” the agency said. 

Extortion attempt

And a few years ago, a number of foreigners received emails coming allegedly from SEM, Swiss border control authorities, or even the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol).

They threatened to revoke the victim’s residence permit or even expel them from the country altogether if they didn’t pay a certain sum of money into an anonymous account.

Needless to say, no government authority would ever resort to blackmail or demand payment for such ‘services’.

So a good rule to remember (for foreigners and Swiss alike) is that if threats and pressure are involved, letters / emails / phone calls ( WhatsUp messages are more than likely scams.
 
READ ALSO: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of 

Don’t respond

SEM as well as police urge everyone contacted by scammers, by whatever means to:

  • Ignore these messages by hanging up the phone and / or deleting emails, moving them to the Spam folder
  • Never give out your credit card number or bank account information to people you don’t know
  • If you did give your card number, contact your credit card company immediately to have the card blocked. Likewise, if you gave out your banking details, get in touch with your bank.
  • In the event of threats of extortion attempts, consider filing a criminal complaint. You can search for police stations in your area on the Police website. 
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