DThe founder of a self-help group for toxic relationships is on trial in Wuppertal for stalking. A 52-year-old man allegedly terrorized his ex-partner. The State Prosecutor's Office accuses him of serious stalking, as stalking is called in legal parlance. At the beginning of the trial in the district court on Wednesday, he presented himself as the real victim.

In addition to the text messages and emails the man allegedly sent to her, he also tried to discredit her with their son's daycare and her employer, according to the indictment. The woman reportedly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the months-long stalking.

The woman reported that he stalked her for a year and a half, sent countless messages and made her life a living hell. Both met in 2018 through an internet portal. After the birth of the son, problems arose in the relationship. After the breakup, the stalking began, she said. He even accused her of stealing from her employer.

Defendant: I experienced “pure horror.”

The alleged stalker denies all allegations. The relationship with him was toxic and terrible. He kept contacting her and putting pressure on her: “If you don't come back to me, you won't see your son again,” he wrote to her.

The defendant said it was “sheer horror” he had experienced. She has hundreds of messages from him. He was hurt because he no longer had power over her. As a professor of toxic relationships, she now knows this is typical. She started a toxic relationship support group to help herself. So the trial is initially a statement against the allegation. The defendant wanted to hand over voluminous material to the court on Wednesday.