A pedophile who murdered a six-year-old girl at a sleepover and sexually abused her corpse before blowing up the house in an attempt to hide his sickening crime has been jailed for life.
Sven Messner, 34, had invited the girl on a play date at his home in Baden-Baden, southern Germany, after she befriended his son Leon, also six years, in a local park.
Victim Shaki’s mother reluctantly agreed to send him on the play date. It was the last time she would see her daughter alive, the court heard.
Road worker Messner was sentenced to life behind bars after being found guilty of murder and disturbing the peace of the dead.
Sven Messner, 34, invited six-year-old Shaki on a play date at his home in Baden-Baden, southern Germany, after she befriended his son Leon, also aged six-year-old at a local park. Messner, pictured, who killed Shaki, has been jailed for life in the city of Baden-Baden
The mother of victim Shaki (pictured) reluctantly agreed to send him on the play date. It was the last time she would see her daughter alive, the court heard
Baden-Baden prosecutor Michael Klose told the media: “Officially he has not made any statement, so we depend on further evidence.”
The pajama party was not planned but the two children would have begged their parents to be able to spend the night together.
The mother, who has not been named, was persuaded by the children to let the sleepover happen.
She gave her daughter a goodbye hug and a kiss, later saying, “I hugged her and told her we would meet again tomorrow.”
The murder was committed at Messner’s home on December 19 last year.
The court heard how Messner slit the six-year-old girl’s throat and stabbed her in the stomach between midnight and 3am.
Messner, who is estranged from his son’s mother, then sexually raped the girl’s corpse.
Picture shows the living room of Sven Messner, 34, in an undated photo. He allegedly set fire to the Christmas tree to cover up the murder of his son’s six-year-old friend and sexually assaulted her in Germany.
He attempted to cover up his crime by turning on the lights on the Christmas tree and the gas in the oven.
Firefighters showed up at a burning house, and Messner was found unconscious in the garden. Her son also survived the fire.
Shaki’s mother said that in the morning, when Messner did not bring her daughter home as planned, she went home.
She said she had completely collapsed – suffering power outages – when a neighbor told her there had been a fire and there was a pool of blood everywhere.
She only found out much later about the horrific way her daughter had died.
Suleymane, 26, and her six-year-old daughter Shaki are shown in an undated photo
Pictured: the grave of the six-year-old victim. Shaki’s mother reluctantly agreed to send her on the play date. It was the last time she would see her daughter alive
While in prison awaiting trial, Messner refused to be examined by a psychiatrist and reportedly attempted suicide on several occasions.
The offender’s brother, Mike Messner, 41, said: ‘Not a day goes by that I don’t think of that little girl. I used to love my brother, but now I hate him.
“The devil must have got into him.
Shaki’s father, named only Suleymane K, 26, from Gambia, is quoted in local media as saying: “This is hell”.
The grieving father, who is believed to have lived in Germany for 13 years and works as a security guard, attended the trial.
Shaki’s mother was connected via video link so she didn’t have to sit across from Messner, according to reports.
Suleymane said during the trial: “I have to be there. I want to see my daughter’s killer. I try to understand.’
He added: “I don’t know this man. I want to hear what he says about why he did this. Its important to me. But also very difficult.
The accused reportedly made no comments during the trial.
