She called him daily, made obscene gifts, decorated his car with love messages, or performed nude dances in front of the rectory. Time and time again, she adorned his garden with phallic symbols, like carrots with balloons tied to them. This went on for two decades. The woman from Arnsberg in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia still waits for him regularly. He has now failed in court.

The pastor claimed that the terror years had significantly harmed his quality of life and had long since led to health issues. He has fought in vain for years to stop his stalker with a slew of criminal charges and lawsuits.

According to psychiatrist Norbert Leygraf of the University of Münster, the woman suffers from "classic love mania" that prevents her from controlling her behavior. She believes she has found her "soul twin," but as a Catholic priest, the latter cannot express his love for her, said the psychiatric professional. He also claimed that the woman's brain impairment harmed her impulse control.

In his statement of reasons for the verdict, the presiding judge expressed his deep concern for the priest's circumstances. They verified the facts of the stalking. "Those who do not act in a self-responsible manner cannot be punished." The woman's delusions were limited to the pastor, which meant that she was not admitted to a psychiatric facility.

The acquittal is not yet legally binding.

Source: DER SPIEGEL (2022): A-99197adb-9686-4282-9399-e9dbb999cd80, in: DER SPIEGEL, Hamburg, Germany, Feb. 16, 2022, [online] https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/arnsberg-79-jaehrige-stalkerin-schuldunfaehig-weil-sie-im-liebeswahn-ist-a-99197adb-9686-4282-9399-e9dbb999cd80 [accessed Feb. 17, 2022].