Shock process in Potsdam: Lifelong prison for children's murderers Silvio S.

Shock process in Potsdam: Lifelong prison for children's murderers Silvio S.

Kaltenborn, Deutschland - In the shadow of the judiciary, a dramatic case has unfolded that moves the minds. Silvio S., a 32-year-old former handyman, was arrested on October 29, 2015 in Kaltenborn (Teltow-Fläming) as a suspect for the terrible kidnapping and the murder of two little boys. Elias (6) and Mohamed (4) became both victims of a horrendous crime that burned deeply into the memory of society. After his confession on the murder of the refugee boy Mohamed Mohamed, Silvio S. announced that he also wanted to talk about the events around Elias. His lawyer, Mathias Noll, was already in contact with S. and tried to prevent him from revealing further details about the crimes in order to reduce the severity of the indictment, how maz-online.de reports.

On June 14, 2016, the trial against Silvio S. began in front of the Potsdam district court, which was accompanied by a high public attention. In front of the judicial center, the snake of the people who wanted to attend the procedure was long. At the beginning of the trial, the presiding judge Theodor Horstkötter caused excitement when he gave his hand to Silvio S. as a greeting. This gesture was criticized by some as inappropriate, but Horstkötter justified with the indication that he would do this to everyone, including the accused.

guilt and punishment

The verdict was finally hard: Silvio S. was sentenced to life imprisonment for two murder. The court found the special severity of the guilt. Judge Horstkötter described the actions as "incomprehensible." Silvio S. had not only kidnapped and abused the two boys, but also killed them to hide his actions. This cruel sequence of events meant that Mohamed's mother was awarded a compensation for pain and suffering of 20,000 euros for her immeasurable losses. In addition, Silvio S. has to arise for the consequential damage to the mother and Mohamed's sister, as [augsburger-allgemeine.de] (https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/panorama/urteil-in-potsdam-mutter-will-will-silvio-s-losen- ID38613597.html).

At the end of the negotiation, there was an emotional outbreak when Mohamed's mother insulted the accused and tried to attack him. Silvio S. had also apologized in the courtroom and announced that he wanted to take advantage of therapeutic help.

social effects

This case has not only shaken the families concerned, but the entire society. Crime remains a explosive topic in Germany, and police crime statistics show that there were around 5.84 million crimes in 2024 - a decline of 1.7 % compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, the feeling of security of many people remains affected by incidents like this. The statistics make it clear that crimes against life, such as murder and homicide, make up a small part of the registered crimes, but are deeply anchored in public perception. In 2024 there was talk of 285 murder victims, at least 14 less than in the previous year. Nevertheless, it is crucial that society, the judiciary and the victims stand together against such crimes in order to learn from the past and to increase security for everyone, as the data from statista.com show.