43-year-old arrested for sexual assault of teenager!

43-year-old arrested for sexual assault of teenager!

In an alarming incident in Steinenbronn, southwest of Stuttgart, a 43-year-old Serbian national is accused of sexually assaulting a teenager. The Stuttgart public prosecutor's office and the Esslingen criminal police department began the investigation after the man approached a young person at a bus stop on May 29, 2025 and sat next to her on the bus. During the journey he is said to have touched her inappropriately, kissed her and held her, a development that was noticed by passers-by who eventually intervened and protected the teenager. A witness alerted the police via the emergency call.

After the incident, which took place around lunchtime, the suspect was initially able to escape. However, in the afternoon he was identified at his home in Stuttgart and temporarily arrested. At the request of the public prosecutor, he was brought before the magistrate on Wednesday afternoon, who issued an arrest warrant and ordered pre-trial detention. Fortunately, the young person concerned did not suffer any physical injuries, but the accusation constitutes a serious offense according to Section 177 of the Criminal Code.

Legal situation and consequences

The legal basis for such allegations is regulated in Section 177 of the Criminal Code (StGB), which covers three main offenses: sexual assault, sexual coercion and rape. Sexual criminal law reform in 2016 expanded the definitions and norms surrounding sexual harassment and coercion. The legislature would like to take better action against sexual crimes.

• Grundtatbestand (§ 177 Abs. 1 StGB): Freiheitsstrafe von sechs Monaten bis fünf Jahren.
• Sexuelle Nötigung: Handlung muss gegen den Willen des Opfers erfolgen.

The new “no means no” principle is strengthened by the law, which also considers verbal and non-verbal statements to be sufficient to identify a conflicting will. In special cases, such as rape or joint crime, the punishment can be significantly increased. This underlines the seriousness of the allegations against the man in Steinenbronn.

Support for victims

Victims of sexual crimes have the right to appear as co-plaintiffs in the proceedings and can receive support from victim support organizations. In the case of Steinenbronn, the legal processing of the attack will be crucial in order to deal with the personal and psychological consequences for the young people affected.

The development of the case remains to be monitored while the investigators intensively deal with the allegations.

For further information on legal aspects, see anwalt.de or RA Grassmann.