Overview
- German prosecutors indicted a 62-year-old judge on charges of possessing child- and youth-pornographic material after investigators catalogued about 1.8 million files found on his devices.
- The probe began after the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded a tip that led investigators to search the judge's home and equipment.
- Authorities say the material includes roughly 1.7 million files of child pornography and about 150,000 files of youth pornography, with some images described as showing severe abuse of infants and children.
- The public prosecutor filed the indictment at the end of May and the Hannover court is now assessing whether to open main criminal proceedings; prosecutors say the accused is not being detained because no grounds for custody exist.
- Tabloid reporting says the files were spread across nearly 40 hard drives, USB sticks and laptops, but that detail is not formally confirmed and the accused has declined to comment through his lawyer.