Girls aged 12 and 13 lured classmate into German woods before stabbing her 30 times after 'telling on them' for bullying
17 March 2023, 08:35 | Updated: 17 March 2023, 14:02
Two German schoolgirls who lured a fellow classmate and former friend into the woods before stabbing her 30 times 'in revenge' are alleged to have done so because she told a teacher they were bullying her.
The girls, aged 12 and 13, "fell out" with the victim prior to the vicious stabbing but will both escape punishment after being deemed too young to prosecute.
Luring their 12-year-old classmate - known only as Luise due to strict German privacy laws - into woodland near the town of Freudenberg in the East of Germany, German newspaper Bild revealed.
Prosecutors are said to have been left "speechless" over the case, after revealing the victim was stabbed "30 times" as part of the vicious attack.
Police believe the schoolgirls used a small knife, however, the weapon is yet to be found.
The body of the victim, who was last seen on evening of Sunday, March 12, was discovered in the woodland the following day later after an extensive police search.
Following their detainment by police, the German prosecutor Mario Mannweiler said that the pair eventually, "made statements about the matter and in the end admitted the crime".
Koblenz prosecutor, Mannweiler, said in a press conference: "The child died as a result of numerous knife wounds and the resulting loss of blood".
He added there was "no indication of a sexual offence".
Police have since said that under questioning, the two girls began making contradictory statements, before eventually making full confessions.
Read more: Teen stabbed to death outside school in 'targeted attack' because 'he joined a gang and left'
However, he revealed that no further information would be provided given no charges were being brought against the schoolgirls.
Despite the severity of the attack, the age of criminal responsibility in Germany currently stands at 14-years-old.
"After more than 40 years in the job you still get cases that leave you speechless," said Jürgen Süs, Koblenz police's deputy president.
Luise's parents reported her missing when she failed to return home on Saturday after visiting the 13-year-old suspect at her home.
It remains unclear why the visit took place, with Luise travelling to the town's Hohenhain district, two miles from her own home, to visit one of the girls.
It's believed the girls all attended the same school in the town and were formerly friends, even taking the bus together.
Located to the West of the city of Cologne, the town has now garnered international attention following the murder.
The pair were then joined by the 12-year-old suspect, with neighbours spotting the trio walking in nearby woods.
Hendrik Wuest, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, said the community was currently "grieving".
Adding: "It is incomprehensible and unbearable that children are capable of such horrible acts."
A book of condolence has been set up in a nearby church, with flowers left near the woodland where Luise's body was found.
