German reality TV star fined for 'false' rape accusation

Gina-Lisa Lohfink, 29, was fined 20,000 euros by the court

BERLIN: A German court Monday convicted a reality TV star of falsely accusing two men of rape, capping a case that spurred a national campaign for tougher laws against sex crimes.

Gina-Lisa Lohfink, 29, was fined 20,000 euros ($22,000) by the court, after it found that she had wrongfully accused a footballer and a Berlin club employee of sexual assault in 2012.



"The court is convinced that these allegations are untrue," said judge Antje Ebner.

Prosecutor Corina Goegge had accused the star of inventing the rape charges as well as "consciously misleading investigators".

In a video that has been widely circulated online, Lohfink could be heard saying "no" and "stop" during the intercourse. The crux of the case was whether she was objecting to sex or being filmed.

Activists said the case illustrated a too strict definition of rape in German penal law, which frames it as sexual consent obtained through violence or physical coercion or when the victim is incapacitated.



In July, the German parliament passed a landmark "no means no" rape law that explicitly covers cases in which a victim withheld consent but did not physically fight back.

It brings what critics call woefully lax legislation into line with that of many other developed countries.