Frankfurt / Main (dpa / lhe) – Because he was involved in a chat group with child pornographic and xenophobic messages, an official of a special task force (SEK) has been in court since Friday. The 43-year-old Hessian police officer has to answer before the Frankfurt district court after appealing against a penalty order. He had been sentenced to a fine of 8,100 euros (60 daily rates) for incitement to hatred, but did not want to accept it. AZ 6450 Js 257450/21

According to the indictment, he is said to have passed on chat content containing child pornography. Other cases involve derogatory remarks about Muslims. The defendant admitted this allegation, but said he had only understood it as a “joke”. He did not comment on the first charge.

The court and the public prosecutor’s office therefore found it necessary to hear the investigating officers on the witness stand. That is why renegotiations are to be held in the coming year. The prosecutor had previously rejected a proposal by the defense to drop the proceedings against a payment of money. The dubious activities of the 14-member chat group put the entire Hessian police in a bad light, it said.