For several weeks now, a scandal has been bubbling under the surface of the Brno justice system that could deal an ugly blow to the Brno regional and municipal courts. A judge who is being prosecuted for contact with a sixteen-year-old girl has been working at the latter. The girl herself was the victim of a crime in another case. The judge would lose his robes if convicted.
The case began months ago when the judge, whose name is not mentioned given the state of the investigation, was still serving in the municipal court. It all started when the judge was present during the police interrogation of a girl who was supposed to be a victim of sexual abuse.
The interrogation took place as a so-called urgent procedure, at which a judge must always be present to ensure the legality of the statement. After this interrogation, during which the girl spoke about her abuse, the judge immediately approached the girl at the reception of the Brno police station.
He told her that he was a judge and said he had listened to her testimony behind a mirror. He praised her for her bravery and offered her help in the form of free legal representation by a well-known lawyer from Prague.
But it didn’t stop at just handing over contacts. The couple, completely disparate in age and status, remained in touch. They communicated, among other things, via social networks, with the girl sending the judge provocative photos or videos.
The judge was supposed to meet the girl several times, and one of the meetings was to take the form of a dinner at the headquarters of the children’s aid organization in whose care the girl was at the time. However, no intimate contact took place between the duo.
The contact culminated in the judge handing over ten thousand crowns to the girl. Investigators believe the handover was motivated by an attempt to silence the girl. However, the girl eventually spoke about her contacts, and the investigation began.
In March this year, the judge was charged, and in July, he was suspended from duty. Police officers also seized his computer in his office at the Brno court and analyzed the seized documents.
The judge told his lawyer, Martin Klim, that he disagreed with the charges.
“My client was only motivated by his desire to help this girl. The mentioned sum of money was not intended for the girl not to talk about him, but she approached him asking for help so that she could pay off her debt of CZK 10,000,” Klimo stressed.