Shock in Stralsund: Santa Claus actor in court after child abuse!

Shock in Stralsund: Santa Claus actor in court after child abuse!

On June 26, 2025, an unusual process began at the Stralsund district court that excited the mind in the region. A 62-year-old Santa Claus actor who is accused of beating a four-year-old boy at the Christmas market in November 2024 is charged with a fir branch during an incident. According to [NDR] (https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/stralsund- process- against Christmas, mvregiogiogswald-168.html) this pine branch is classified as a "dangerous tool", and the prosecutor raises charges for dangerous bodily harm.

The incident caused a sensation when the boy supposedly stretched out the tongue to Santa Claus and described him as a "stupid". The accused, who has been working on Christmas markets for decades and traditionally distributed sweets, has decidedly denied the allegations and speaks of an "warning". In his statement, he claims that he has only touched the child on the buttocks and describes the allegations as "nonsense". According to [Spiegel] (https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/stralsund-weihnachtmann-soll-kind-kind-bagen-cht-a -.190c58f1-ec21-a8cb-9709453d1256), the public prosecutor claims that he had the young occasion in the face and against the body beat.

The background of the incident

The incident occurred as part of a Christmas spectacle that should promote the joy of the children for the upcoming holidays. The boy and his mother were on the Christmas market that day when the dispute broke out. The child's mother then filed a complaint against the Santa Claus actor. The process takes place in just one day, and a judgment is still expected today, which brings further excitement into the matter, as the [Stern] (https://www.stern.de/gesellschaft/regional/mecklenburg-vorpommern/ VERFALL-IN-STALD-TRESSUND-EIHHNACHTMANN-Soll-Kind-bagen-bag

The police are now urgently looking for witnesses who have observed the incident or possibly even filmed. It remains to be seen how the process will go out and what effects this could have on the local Christmas market tradition. In such a festive time, such incidents are particularly unfortunate and throw a shadow on the good atmosphere that is actually connected to Christmas.