Threatening Letters | Anonymous Letters

Anonymous threatening letters, insults, slanders and harassment are, sadly, not uncommon in Germany. The psychological pressure to which victims are exposed can reach enormous proportions. Often the perpetrator is known, but there is a lack of evidence for court-secure identification; in other cases the identity of the offender still needs to be established — for both constellations Kurtz Investigations Dortmund and its IHK-certified investigators are available. Our investigative methods range from letter analysis and expert reports by recognised handwriting experts to surveillance, carefully laid traps, or even the deployment of highly trained scent-tracking dogs. Get a free consultation: +49 231 8401 0065.

Case Study: Neighbourhood Dispute in Dortmund

The proverb “Even the most pious man cannot live in peace if it does not please his wicked neighbour” by friedrich schiller from his play Wilhelm Tell still applies today. In most cases, small matters escalate into neighbourhood disputes: the barbecue smoke in summer, an overly bright string of external lights at Christmas, a dog barking in the garden — such banalities are often quite enough for people to get upset. Frequently the matter ends with some grumbling and one party taking action. Sometimes, however, the situation suddenly spirals out of control, as the following case shows:

Anonymous Threatening Note Tucked Under a Windscreen Wiper

Mr Werle (all names changed) moved from Dortmund city centre to a small estate on the edge of town. Private single- and multi-family houses and some buildings belonging to a housing company (SG) were spread over a few streets — all in all a quiet neighbourhood. The house into which Mr Werle moved contained three other tenancies besides his own. The housing company’s premises included parking spaces made available to local residents.

Before moving in, Mr Werle stored much of his furniture at his parents’ home to renovate the flat. One day he and his mother, Irene, drove to a DIY store for paint and wallpaper, then went to the new flat. There was no free parking nearby, so they stopped briefly on the SG car park to avoid carrying heavy items too far. At that time the parking spaces were roughly half occupied. They carried the shopping into the flat and, after about half an hour, Irene returned to the vehicle to move it elsewhere. She found a note tucked under the windscreen wiper. The tone of the letter was absurdly aggressive and contained a threat of damage to property (see image). Irene moved the car a couple of streets away, still shaken. A few days later, after another trip to the DIY store, Mr Werle briefly stopped on the SG car park again; after about ten minutes he found a note on his car similar to the one his mother had found.

Report to the Police? No Chance.

Two months later Mr Werle had almost finished the renovation, had collected most of his furniture from his parents by van and went to fetch the rest in his car. Irene offered to help and they drove together. Again no nearby parking was available, so he stopped on the SG car park under the same conditions as before. While they carried boxes and bags into the flat, he saw through the kitchen window someone standing by his car and then quickly disappearing into the SG building. When he returned to his car he found yet another note on the windscreen, the text leaving no doubt as to the author’s ill manners. As Irene and Mr Werle stood beside the car, one of the neighbours passed and he asked her if she knew who might be responsible. She told them she had had similar notes on her car and that it was a woman from one of the SG houses (the house in question lies diagonally opposite Mr Werle’s flat, about 20 metres away).

Mr Werle and Irene drove to the nearby police station to report the matter, but the officer told them that a report against an unknown person would not help — the perpetrator must be caught in the act. He added, wrongly, that photographing the offender was not permitted (our Dortmund detectives know this to be incorrect) and advised them to ensure they had a witness, otherwise it would be one person’s word against another’s. Disappointed, they left the station without further action.

Madwoman Threatens to Throw a Stone at the Victim’s Vehicle.

Four weeks later Irene returned to bring her son the remaining items. Again there was no nearby parking, so she used the SG car park. After half an hour she found a threatening note affixed to the windscreen with a white sticky substance that was hard to remove. Two months on, she parked there briefly while they went shopping and saw a woman on the balcony of the house opposite holding a stone, apparently about to throw it at Irene’s car. When Irene shouted that she would call the police if she threw it, the enraged woman put down the stone and disappeared into her flat.

Irene and Mr Werle once more went to the police, who once again refused to act since “nothing had happened.” On returning, Mr Werle discovered a roughly 20-centimetre long scratch on his driver’s door, apparently made with a key or similar object. That was the last straw — the apparently deranged woman seemed beyond reason, and the police offered no help. What to do? Consult detectives.

Police Officer: Photographing a Crime Scene Is Prohibited — Really?

Kurtz Investigations Dortmund proposed provoking another such reaction from the author of the notes by deliberately parking again on the SG car park, this time under the surveillance of our Dortmund detectives. The investigators naturally planned to document any aggression photographically, because the police officer’s assertion that this was not permitted is pure nonsense. While Germany recognises the right to one’s own image and the dissemination of photo or video material showing identifiable persons is prohibited without consent, this restriction under the Kunsturhebergesetz (KunstUrhG) applies to dissemination, not to the recording itself. It is therefore entirely legal to photograph or film offences committed in public provided the material is not made available to unauthorised third parties. Upon court order, such material can be released for civil or criminal proceedings.

Target Becomes Physical

The clients of Kurtz Investigations Dortmund waited in Mr Werle’s flat while our investigators observed the vehicle. After only a few minutes an evidently enraged older woman stormed out of the opposite house and walked straight towards the parked car, carrying a fist-sized stone. As one of our Dortmund detectives followed her, the other recorded the scene. The woman was so agitated that she did not notice her pursuer. She slapped a note on the windscreen and raised the stone — the detective managed to grasp her hand just before the stone smashed the glass. The woman, clearly bewildered, began to rant loudly and then became physically aggressive. Our investigator saw no alternative but to hold her hands behind her back and warn her that, under section 127 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO), he would detain her provisionally and hand her over to the police if she did not calm down. Mr Werle and Irene — alerted by phone by the colleague who had remained in the car — ran to the scene and confronted the woman, but could not elicit any sensible statements. The case, together with the evidence collected by Kurtz Investigations Dortmund, was passed to a solicitor.

A few weeks later Mr Werle phoned our detectives again: since the incident he had been spared further attacks from “the madwoman” (his words), although neighbours reported they still received notes and that several minor acts of criminal damage to vehicles had occurred for which the same woman was strongly suspected.

Note

To preserve discretion and protect the personal rights of clients and targets, all names and locations in this case report have been changed beyond recognition.