A man has had surgery in a bid to avoid imprisonment for incestuous acts with his younger sister.
Siblings Patrick Stüebing and Susan Karolewski have been entangled in a legal battle for over two decades in Germany, fighting for their controversial relationship.
The couple has four children, two of whom have disabilities. They maintain that their relationship is not wrongful. Additionally, Karolewski has intellectual disabilities.
The siblings were unaware of each other for years as Stüebing was placed in foster care at the age of three after a violent incident involving their father. This separation lasted until they were adults.
They were reunited with their biological mother, Ana Marie, two decades later. Six months after this reunion, Stüebing began living with his family again.
Following their mother’s passing in 2000, Stüebing, then 23, continued residing with Karolewski, who was 16 at the time.
In 2001, the siblings challenged German incest laws, and by 2012, they took their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Patrick has served two prison sentences for charges related to incest and remains unrepentant about his relationship with Susan.
German law, under paragraph 173, prohibits sexual relations between siblings and can result in up to two years of imprisonment.
An Express article reports that Stüebing has undergone sterilization to potentially prevent further legal issues and incarceration.
He stated: “There is no reason for them to jail me now. I do not want to go back to jail and I know we will never voluntarily leave each other. If anyone doubts our love they should just see we will not be kept apart.”
Stüebing explained that when they began their relationship, they were unaware that their actions were considered wrong.
He said: “We didn’t think about using a condom. We didn’t know it was illegal to sleep together. Our mother would not have approved, but the only ones who should judge us now is us.”
Susan has also defended their relationship, stressing that they never shared a childhood, as Patrick was taken away at an early age.
Karolewski expressed: “We didn’t know each other in childhood, it’s not the same for us. We fell in love as adults and our love is real. There is nothing we could do about it.
“We were both attracted to each other and then nature took over from us. It was that simple. What else could we do? We followed our instincts and our hearts.”