In a case that has horrified Germany, a mother and her partner have been convicted of the repeated rape of her young boy, and for selling him for sex on the internet.
The news agency dpa reported that a state court in south-western Germany sentenced the woman, who has been identified only as Berrin T, to 12-and-a-half years in prison for rape, sexual abuse and forced prostitution.
Her partner, Christian L, was sentenced to 12 years by the court in Freiburg.
The court ruled that the man, who had a previous conviction for child abuse, must remain in preventive custody after serving his sentence.
The 48-year-old woman and 39-year-old man were accused of repeatedly abusing and raping the boy, now 10, filming the abuse, and selling him to other men on the “dark net”, an area of the internet that can be visited only by using special software.
The pair and six others were arrested last autumn, and several men have already been convicted in separate trials.
In Tuesday’s verdict, the couple were ordered to pay a total of 42,500 euros (£38,000) in compensation to the boy and another victim, a young girl.
Local authorities have been accused of failing to protect the boy, who now lives with a foster family. Officials took the boy out of the family in March last year, but a local court sent him back weeks later.
The mother’s partner was supposed to be banned from having contact with children following his earlier abuse conviction.