© Claro Cortes / ReutersAccording to traditional meditation lore, they are in a meditative state (thukdam) until their consciousness is clear; only then does the body begins to decay
A Buddhist priest, convicted of over 25 counts of sexual abuse, has been sentenced to seven years and nine months behind bars in Germany. His victims over 15 years were
seven boys, aged four to 13.
The 62-year-old man, identified as Hans D. [AP] or Genpo D. [
Suddeutsche Zeitung] for privacy reasons, was convicted in Augsburg state court, the dpa news agency reported.
The monk also took pornographic photos of his victims, and possessed other child pornography, AP reported.
The man admitted to his crimes going back to 2001, so the case will be a speedy trial and it means that his victims won't appear in court.
The Buddhist's crimes were revealed in July 2016, when a woman reported to the Criminal Investigation Department. She claimed she had approached the clergyman because she was seeking help: her husband had died, and the priest offered his help. An affair began, but the priest abused her two sons. In particular, he repeatedly had oral intercourse with the children, and took obscene pictures using his smartphone, that "show off the naked sex parts," according to the prosecution, as
cited by
Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Comment: This isn't the first time Lowell Correctional Institution has been in the news. Various complaints have been filed concerning sexual abuse by guards.
'It's like a predator's playground': Reports of rampant abuse at one of America's largest women's prisons