A 36-year-old Iraqi migrant, Hawzheen A., is on trial in Hamburg for the brutal rape of an 82-year-old woman—twice. However, instead of serving time behind bars, he’s being held in a “therapeutic institution” due to reported psychological issues, according to Bild.
The attacks occurred last summer inside the victim’s apartment building. Prosecutors say he first assaulted and raped the elderly woman in her bedroom. Later, he dragged her to a friend’s apartment one floor down and raped her again. The victim only reported the crime after the second attack.
This isn’t his only brush with the law. In January 2023, he allegedly attacked a woman inside a Hamburg café, knocking her to the ground and kicking her before bystanders intervened. When police arrived, he resisted violently, kicking and spitting at officers.
Just weeks later, he went on another rampage, destroying property and fighting officers so fiercely that he had to be restrained face down in a police van. Three officers were injured in the struggle.
So far, Hawzheen A. has remained silent in court. His trial is expected to conclude Friday.
Unfortunately, attacks like this are not isolated incidents. In recent years, migrants in Europe have been implicated in multiple cases of sexual violence against elderly women. Last year alone, a Syrian migrant assaulted a 78-year-old woman before being released—only to rape a 23-year-old the next day. Another migrant raped two elderly women in a hospital, claiming he was “forced to” because he “didn’t have a girlfriend.” On New Year’s morning, a different migrant broke into a home and raped a 75-year-old French woman.
