A 21-year-old is said to have held his sister for months, hit her and assaulted her five times: At the beginning of the trial before the Constance Regional Court, the accused was silent on the allegations. According to the court, his sister also wants to exercise her right to refuse to testify.

"She doesn't want to testify and she doesn't want to come here either," her lawyer said on Thursday. The young woman has joined the proceedings as a joint plaintiff. She had commented on the crimes during a court hearing in June.

The public prosecutor accuses the accused of rape, deprivation of liberty and dangerous bodily harm. The crimes are said to have taken place from January to May 2022 in the brother's room in Constance. According to the indictment, he had locked his 18-year-old sister in the room at the time of the crime and repeatedly tied her hands. He is said to have bandaged her mouth with a cloth. According to a police officer, the two roommates had not heard anything about the crimes.

The 21-year-old is said to have hit his sister with fists, cables and other utensils almost every day. He is said to have pulled out her hair and burned her with a hot knife. He is said to have raped her on five evenings in early to mid-May. He is said to have always told his parents that his sister was fine.

He had brought his sister to Constance because she was supposed to help him move from one flat share to another. The now 19-year-old actually lived with her parents and five other siblings in a refugee shelter in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The accused was arrested on May 13 after a tip from the local police. He is also said to have physically abused his other younger sisters and brothers there. But there was no sexual assault.

The man came to Germany from Syria in November 2015. His family followed in 2021. A total of three days of negotiations are scheduled for the process. A verdict could come as soon as Monday.