Five men and boys went on trial in the southern German city of Ulm on Thursday accused of drugging and gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in October 2019.

The defendants remained silent during the brief opening session of the trial at Ulm district court, which is set to reconvene on July 20.

The men and boys aged between 15 and 27 are asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.

The defendants allegedly met the girl in Ulm city centre on the night of Oct. 31, 2019, and persuaded her to accompany them to an asylum-seeker shelter in nearby Illerkirchberg, before drugging her.

Four of them are said to have then raped the girl a total of nine times, while the girl later informed her parents and the police.

“One of the accused has admitted his involvement,’’ prosecutors said.

However, the others denied the allegations.

A total of 13 days of hearings are scheduled for the trial, which is set until November.

 

 

 

 

NAN