Berlin man charged over alleged rapes of 14 women

German prosecutors said Tuesday that a 68-year-old Berlin man has been charged over allegations that he sedated and raped women he met on dating apps and filmed the assaults.

The Berlin prosecutors' office said the charges brought so far cover 22 alleged rapes involving 14 women. Prosecutors alleged that the man used sleeping pills combined with alcohol before raping the women. They said none of the victims had any recollection of the alleged acts.

The alleged offences were uncovered after police raided the suspect's apartment and seized data sticks containing numerous videos of sexual offences, prosecutors said. Authorities said 58 women have been identified in relation to the man's alleged crimes.

Prosecutors said police in Lower Saxony state alerted authorities to the case while investigating similar crimes allegedly committed by another man, who had been communicating with the Berlin suspect.

Berlin police first searched the suspect's apartment in March 2025 and found videos of alleged assaults, prosecutors said. After a second search in March 2026, the man was arrested and has been held in pre-trial detention since.

He is accused of 22 counts of aggravated rape and of causing dangerous bodily harm. Prosecutors said investigations linked to other potential victims are continuing. They also said 36 suspected rape cases from 2010 to 2014 involving one woman were dropped because too much time had passed to pursue them.