Yahoo News German man 'who persuaded young girls to shock themselves on Skype' faces 88 attempted murder charges
A German man who allegedly convinced girls as young as 15 to electrocute themselves while he watched them on Skype is facing 88 counts of attempted murder.
David G., 30, from Wurzburg, in Bavaria, is on trial in Munich after being accused of giving several women instructions on how to administer potentially deadly 230v electric shocks.
The defendant, who is an alleged foot fetishist, posed as a scientist carrying out research in order to convince the women to shock their bare feet, the court heard.
He allegedly targeted his victims aged between 15 and 30 via eBay adverts claiming to be Dr Christian Vogel who was looking for participants for a study on sexual electric shock fetishes.
He also promised they would receive €3,000 (£2,572) for their participation but none of those who took part were ever paid, the court heard.
Prosecutors said David G., who cannot be identified further for legal reasons, was so convincing he managed to persuade the girls' parents to help in his 'experiments' and make recordings of their suffering.
An electric cable was obtained by the alleged victims under his instructions after it was usually cut off electrical devices in the house like clothes irons or music players, the court heard.
A video of a 27-year-old woman electrocuting herself was shown at the trial.
READ MORE YAHOO NEWS HERE:
Yorkshire flood victims caught escaping in van filled with wet cannabis plants
Cat put in solitary confinement for 'repeatedly' letting other animals out of enclosures
Prince Andrew to give 'no holds barred' TV interview about links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
The woman, from Berlin, told the court that it happened four years ago and she agreed to the experiments as she was desperate for the money and his apparent academic title persuaded her it was OK.
The case came to light after a 16-year-old was taken to hospital after falling unconscious.
The prosecutor said David G., an IT specialist, was “fully aware that 230 volts was enough to kill a person."
The defendant’s lawyers Klaus W. Spiegel and Matthias Bohn claim their client had diminished responsibility for his actions as he suffers from Asperger Syndrome and autism.
David G. told his lawyers: "It was an attempt to communicate with the environment."
Police were able to track down a large number of his victims as he kept over a hundred Skype videos of the experiments on his PC.
Some reportedly took part in the 'experiment' multiple times.
According to some reports, he had over 100 videos and not all his alleged victims have been tracked down.
David G. was arrested in February 2018.
The case continues.
