Bernhard Diethelm on trial Did ex-SVP cantonal councillor from Schwyz abuse prostitutes?
On Wednesday, the Zurich public prosecutor demanded a conditional prison sentence of 18 months for the former Schwyz SVP cantonal councillor Bernhard Diethelm.
04.09.2024, 08:47
04.09.2024, 09:23
SDA
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- Former Schwyz SVP cantonal councillor Bernhard Diethelm allegedly abused a prostitute.
- He denies the allegations in court.
"Forensic medicine assumes that the incident was life-threatening," said the public prosecutor in his plea. Diethelm had squeezed the air out of her until she became dizzy. The ex-politician must therefore be sentenced for endangering life.
Should the High Court follow the prosecutor's request, the 41-year-old man from Schwyz would be punished much more severely than the Zurich District Court did last summer. This court considered a conditional prison sentence of 8 months to be appropriate.
Diethelm's lawyer considered a conviction for endangering life to be excessive. However, should the High Court come to this conclusion, a maximum 12-month conditional sentence would be appropriate.
"Only pushed"
During questioning, the former SVP cantonal councillor denied that he had attacked and choked the prostitute. "The assault came from her", he emphasized. The woman had bitten his finger. He had merely pushed her.
The chef from the Wägital valley in the canton of Schwyz had met up for sado-maso sex with a then 26-year-old woman in Zurich-Oerlikon in 2021. The plan was to role-play with a leash and collar. He described himself as a "submissive piggy" in WhatsApp chats with her. It remains to be seen when the high court will hand down its verdict.
sda
