Overview
- Authorities found an exceptionally large cache of illegal material during a search, with prosecutors reporting about 1.7 million child‑pornographic files and roughly 150,000 youth‑pornographic files that include images of severe abuse.
- The Hanover public prosecutor filed charges for possession of child‑ and youth‑pornographic material at the end of May, and criminal proceedings remain active.
- A judges’ service court has suspended the social judge and ordered his pay cut by 50 percent until retirement and by one‑third thereafter.
- Regional reporting notes the accused worked at several Thuringian courts in recent years, a fact that has intensified concerns about institutional oversight and reputational damage.
- The case continues to proceed on two tracks with the criminal trial ongoing and the disciplinary measures in place, and it could prompt reviews of how judges’ conduct is monitored and how service‑law sanctions are applied.