Cologne (dpa) – A Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Cologne will be in front of the Cologne district court from Tuesday (11 a.m.) on charges of sexual abuse of children. The 70-year-old is said to have abused his three nieces in the 1990s. The girls were between 7 and 13 years old at the time. 31 cases are charged, 3 of which the public prosecutor classifies as serious. The priest was then active in Gummersbach.

A week ago, the public prosecutor brought another charge against the clergyman. It is about the sexual abuse of an eleven-year-old girl in 2011. It was originally unclear whether the chamber would also negotiate this case.

The court has scheduled 20 trial days and wants to hear 38 witnesses. Among them is the Archbishop of Hamburg, Stefan Heße, who has been invited for mid-January. Heße used to be the head of personnel in the Archdiocese of Cologne.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 211122-99-100964 / 3