Trial of former Nazi death camp guard, 95, is scrapped

Trial of former Nazi death camp guard, 95, which was being held in a youth court because of his age during WWII, is scrapped due to his ill health

  • The 95-year-old German defendant was told  he was no longer fit enough for trial
  • The guard had worked at Stutthof concentration camp, east of Danzig, Poland
  • He is accused of being complicit in the brutal murders of hundreds of Jews 

The trial of a former Nazi death camp guard has been stopped due to his failing health.

The 95-year-old German defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was told by a court in the western city of Muenster today that he was no longer fit enough to stand trial.

The former guard, who worked at the Stutthof concentration camp, east of Danzig, Poland, during the Second World War was accused of assisting in the brutal murders of hundreds of Jews. 

The former member of the SS was charged with being an accessory to sickening murders despite denying the charges.  

The trial of a former guard at the Stutthof concentration camp, Poland, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been stopped due to his failing health

The former guard was accused of assisting in the brutal murders of hundreds of Jews during his time at the Stutthof concentration camp, east of Danzig. He denied the charges

The former guard was accused of assisting in the brutal murders of hundreds of Jews during his time at the Stutthof concentration camp, east of Danzig. He denied the charges

The Nazi guard first took to the stand on November 6 after he was accused of being complicit in the murders of hundreds of prisoners at the camp between 1942- 1944. 

During the trial last year court sessions lasted no longer than two hours due to his ill health.

In December, the trial was put on hold due to the former guard’s ill health and has now been stopped permanently following a medical report-which listed heart problems among his medical issues.   

During an earlier trial, the former guard, who is confined to a wheelchair, had said: ‘I want to say clearly that I am not a Nazi, never was and in the little time that I still have to live, will never be.’

The trial had been temporarily stopped in December due to his poor health but it has now been stopped completely

The trial had been temporarily stopped in December due to his poor health but it has now been stopped completely

Around 65,000 prisoners are believed to have been killed or have died at the the concentration camp in Poland

Around 65,000 prisoners are believed to have been killed or have died at the the concentration camp in Poland

He added that he had lived at the camp in fear.

Speaking to court, chief Prosecutor Andreas Brendel, said the man was responsible for the murders of hundreds of prisoners during the Holocaust.

Mr Brendel said: ‘People were killed with a shot in the back of the head. People were left to starve, to freeze.’

The former guard was being tried in a youth court due to his age at the time of the suspected murders.

Around 65,000 prisoners are believed to have been killed or have died at the camp, which was the first concentration camp set up outside of Germany. 

It was first established as a camp for civilian war prisoners before it became a concentration camp in 1942. 

Prosecutors will now prepare to make a statement on the medical report.

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