Following the alleged sexual assault on four girls in Halle, the public prosecutor’s office has decided not to file for detention, which means all the youths with a migration background were released. Despite two victims requiring hospitalization, Chief Prosecutor Dennis Cernota stated that the incident began as a “voluntary meeting.”

According to the public prosecutor’s office, there are no legal grounds for detention, such as a risk of flight or a risk of repetition. The accused individuals also maintain a fixed address.

More details have arisen since the case was first reported, which indicate that the individuals involved knew each other prior to the evening, and at least one girl and boy were related. In addition, the girls, all 16 or younger, supposedly prompted the meeting and even brought the alcohol.

Four migrant teens accused of drugging and raping German minors in Halle apartment building

Nevertheless, there are already signs that the evening may have started in one direction and quickly deteriorated. The four youths, aged 13 to 16 and who all have a migration background from Portugal and Mali, are still charged in the case. They are accused of abusing all four girls in an apartment building in the south of Halle.

Two of the girls had to be treated in the hospital and the two others had to receive outpatient care. Police are still investigating whether drugs and alcohol played a role in the incident.

The public prosecutor’s office indicates that the girls are having trouble remembering what happened in the night, potentially due to substance abuse, but witness statements may be able to fill in the details and lend credence to the girls’ claims. Reportedly, a local resident observed one of the girls running out of the house partially naked while on the phone with police, and then found another girl lying on the floor disoriented inside the apartment.

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Another resident said they heard loud noises and screaming before the teen girls fled outside, reportedly followed by a young man who was partially undressed. One of the girls had visible injuries to her face, according to the witness.

The public prosecutor’s office has confirmed that sexual acts occurred during the evening, but what occurred during those acts and whether they were criminal is still the subject of investigation.

One 13-year-old suspect is under the age of culpability and had already been immediately released to his parents.