A court in western Germany found a woman guilty of sexual assault and handed her a six-month sentence for purposefully damaging her partner's condoms, German media reported.
The ruling was handed down at a regional court in the western German city of Bielefeld, local newspaper Neue Westfälische and the mass-circulation Bild newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The woman secretly poked holes in the condoms in a bid to steal her partner's sperm and get pregnant, which is known as "stealthing."
Woman Developed Stronger Feelings for the Man
The woman, 39, was apparently in a "friends with benefits" relationship with the 42-year-old male. The two met online at the beginning of 2021 and began a casual, sexual relationship, the court heard.
The women had developed stronger feelings for the man, but but knew that he didn't want to be in a committed relationship, the court said. The woman then poked holes in the package of condoms that her partner kept in his nightstand without his knowledge or consent.
Despite cutting holes in the condom, she was unable to get pregnant. However, she sent a text message to the victim telling him she was pregnant, while admitting to sabotaging the condom.
Woman Charged with Sexual Assault After Victim Filed Criminal Complaint
The man then filed criminal charges against the woman. At first the court was unsure of what to charge the woman with. She was first facing charges of rape, but that was later reduced to sexual assault.
In handing down the ruling, the judge said the unusual case was one for Germany's legal history books — representing an instance of criminal "stealthing," but this time carried out by a woman.
Jude Astrid Salewski said "stealthing" normally involved men removing or sabotaging their condom during intercourse."This provision also applies in the reverse case. The condoms were rendered unusable without the man's knowledge or his consent," she added. "No means no here as well."
