Rape | Berlin “Pelicot Trial”: The commodity woman

Feminists protest in front of the Moabit criminal court in Berlin. Photo: nd/ Jule Meier Note on sensitive content: This article addresses sexualized violence, including specific descriptions of rape.

Around thirty women with plastic cups in which a green liquid can be seen stand in front of the Moabit criminal court. They are not here to celebrate, but to protest. The bright green color symbolizes knockout drops, says Sina Tonk from Terres des Femmes to »nd«. This Tuesday, the women's organization is accompanying another day of negotiations in the Berlin trial, which is known as the "Pelicot case" because of the parallels to the case of the Frenchwoman Gisèle Pelicot.

The defendant Frank S. is accused of sedating a total of 14 women and raping them several times, as well as disseminating recordings of the acts in chats. He met the women between 2016 and 2022 via online dating platforms. The investigators found material on his hard drives that showed alleged crimes against 59 women - many more than the public prosecutor's office had charged. The now 68-year-old has to answer before the Berlin regional court for rape, grievous bodily harm, violation of the most personal sphere of life and personal rights through photographic recordings. In August 2026, Frank S. admitted the rapes.

The case shows “extreme dehumanization in which women are traded as goods,” said detective Nina S. in court. The detective has been dealing with rapist networks for years and has prepared the arrest of the defendant. “Their own partners offer their wives,” said the official about digital platforms on which Frank S. was active. "It's about the fact that women are no longer able to defend themselves." It's about the fact that men have knowledge that women don't have. “There is often the feeling that the focus is not on sexual contact, but rather on power,” said the officer. This can be seen, for example, in the insertion of objects into the body or in the smearing of the drugged person.

A quiet gulp can be heard every now and then in the courtroom. The extent of the digitally networked rapist scene in Germany and the manner in which the women were allegedly deceived, drugged and then raped is not always easy to hear on this day of the trial.

Is there something that connects the women that Frank S. is said to have drugged and raped? That's what one of the co-plaintiffs' lawyers wants to know from the lead investigator.

Many of those affected were “multiple-divorced or widowed.” “These were women who were looking for love,” says Nina S. Many had already been alone for a long time. Many initially had consensual sexual intercourse with the defendant. "For many of them, I had the feeling that feelings were involved." Apart from "a strange feeling" that some women felt after their date with Frank S., most of them were said to have had a good time.

"It's a puzzle," says the officer when the judge asks how the victims were identified. The investigators had the women's faces from videos and photos; some of them had usernames on social media or even names and addresses from chats and emails. The investigators queried inventory data on Facebook and were given access to the Federal Criminal Police Office databases. “Slowly a picture emerged,” says detective Nina S.

A total of 49 out of 59 women could be identified. The vast majority of women were questioned. Four or five women have now died without any connection to the crime - the investigators assume that the first crimes took place in 2006. The alleged victims had to be approached carefully. After the meeting with Frank S., none of the 59 victims - except probably one woman - filed a complaint. So most people were not aware of what had happened on the date.

The women initially reported "almost unanimously positive" about Frank S. in the police interview. When they learned what might have happened to them, most were deeply shocked. “Some women reported a film tearing, some reported falling asleep on the sofa and waking up in bed,” says Nina S. Some had no memory whatsoever. For others, it was almost “an explanation”. A woman would have suffered from nightmares of rape for years. “The victims suffered severe psychological suffering,” said the official. "There were women who reported as if they had done something wrong."

According to the detective, Frank S. seemed indifferent and not particularly surprised when the police entered his apartment and arrested the man.

The investigators found several electronic devices, narcotics, syringes, an old Polaroid camera, photos of undressed women as well as a federal police hat and radio set in Frank S's apartment. They also met his then partner there - she is also said to be seen in the rape videos as a sedated victim.

“At first he denied everything,” said the detective. He stated that he did not know some of the women, that he had had consensual sexual intercourse with others and that he had also made consensual videos of them.

Frank S. is said to have posed as a police officer. Some women reported that he talked about working as a pilot for the federal police. According to investigators, he uploaded a photo of himself in a pilot's uniform to Facebook. He is said to have showered the women with compliments.

Many women trusted him because he acted as a charming police officer. “They felt safe,” said Nina S. But according to the investigators, no woman consented to the defendant sedating her, performing sexual acts on her or uploading videos of this online.

Many of the women are said to have fallen asleep during initially consensual sex because they had unknowingly been given knockout drops. The investigators conclude that this was the case from the behavior of the women in the videos: loud snoring noises, disoriented actions, crying, screaming, shaking, convulsions. A woman fell asleep during sex, started wheezing and had to vomit while lying on her back. According to video footage, Frank S. is said to have continued with the penetration.

Frank S. is said to have been in active contact with other users on porn sites and Telegram. In chats he is said to have given tips on the type and dosage of the knockout drops. Also, how to mix the anesthetics with sweet cocktails to give to the women. He is also said to have requested photos and videos from other users. “He even planned rapes with other users,” says Nina S.

The investigators found images showing smeared breasts. There you could read relevant website titles that Frank S. had written on the bodies. "A common tool in the scene is to present videos and acts of sedated women who are given group or website names," says officer S. He "glued eyes on" to some women so that they looked as if they were awake.

“The question is, how many are there left,” says women’s rights activist Sina Tonk, visibly upset. Unlike the Pelicot trial, which Gisèle Pelicot deliberately allowed to be conducted publicly, the trial in Berlin is largely not public. To protect the privacy of the victims, the court excluded the public for most of the trial days, during which those affected were questioned and videos were shown.

“Sexualized violence is understood as individual misconduct, but this case clearly shows that it involves networks,” says Maria Schramm, who is also involved with Terres de Femmes, in an interview with “nd”. Among other things, the association calls for a statute of limitations of at least 20 years for rape and the introduction of the principle “Only yes means yes” in sexual criminal law, according to which only express consent counts. The association also calls for more information about knockout drops, the criminal liability of possession of crime videos and the criminal prosecution of people who read in chat groups how sexual violence is planned there without intervening.

The trial continues on Wednesday, with a verdict expected on October 14.

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