A regional court in the city of Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, has found a woman guilty of sexual assault after it was determined that she had deliberately poked holes in her partner’s condoms without his knowledge.

The curious case of the condom cutter

A recent court case in the western city of Bielefeld has garnered both local and national attention. The court found a 39-year-old woman guilty of sexual assault after it was revealed that she poked holes in her partner’s condoms in an effort to get pregnant.

The woman was apparently in a casual, sexual relationship with her 42-year-old partner after the two met online at the beginning of last year. The woman reportedly developed feelings for her partner, who did not want to enter into a committed relationship. The woman then poked holes in her partner’s condoms in an effort to get pregnant, although she was ultimately unsuccessful.

The woman later texted her partner on WhatsApp to say she believed she had gotten pregnant, and admitted to purposefully damaging the condoms. The man then notified the police, with the woman eventually admitting to trying to manipulate her partner.

A historic court case?

The judge presiding over the case described it as “historic”, as prosecutors and the court were initially unsure on what charges to bring against the woman despite agreeing that a crime had been committed. "We have written legal history here today," Judge Astrid Salewski reportedly told the court.

The court first investigated whether the crime was an instance of rape. However, while reviewing case law, the judge decided that the offence represented an instance of “stealthing”, the act of furtively removing a condom during sexual intercourse. "This provision also applies in the reverse case. The condoms were rendered unusable without the man's knowledge or his consent," Salewski said in her decision.