Domestic Violence | Household Violence

It is not unusual for disagreements to occur in marriages. An argument – if conducted calmly and rationally – can even act like a clarifying storm. It becomes problematic when the disagreement consists solely of accusations, when the parties shout at each other, or, in the worst case, when physical violence occurs. In situations of domestic violence, separation is inevitable, as it is highly unlikely that a single “incident” will remain isolated. Experience shows that, sooner or later, the assaults become more frequent and more severe. The victims are almost exclusively children and women. Women are often threatened and pressured by their partners to prevent them from informing the police, friends, or relatives about the abuse.

Our private detectives in Dortmund assist you and, if necessary, your children, to discreetly escape this precarious situation and reach a safe location: +49 231 8401 0065.

Case Study: Domestic Violence in Dortmund

Young, Pregnant, Unemployed

A young couple, Erna and Alfons (all names changed), had just moved into a new flat in a Dortmund suburb shortly before their wedding. The building contained only two other households: a Turkish man, Mehmet, with his approximately 20-year-old son Ali, and an elderly couple. Erna was five months pregnant, and Alfons was searching for work – not ideal conditions for a shared future with a child.

Three weeks after moving in, Erna and Alfons married. Until that point, everything had been calm, but the day after the wedding, the neighbours heard Alfons shouting loudly. Apparently, the newlyweds were arguing. Shortly afterwards, the flat door slammed, and Alfons ran down the stairs. From that point on, Alfons’s shouting could be heard almost every day in the building. This continued for around two weeks, until the neighbours heard Erna scream and cry loudly. From her cries and the accompanying noises, it was clear that Alfons was physically assaulting his wife – and from this point, this became a near-daily occurrence. About a week after the abuse began, Mehmet went to the couple’s flat, having once again heard Alfons shouting and Erna screaming. When Alfons opened the door, Mehmet could see Erna in the background – bent over with a tear-streaked face. Mehmet told Alfons to stop shouting at and hitting his wife, whereupon Alfons grabbed Mehmet by the collar and threatened to beat him if he did not mind his own business. Alfons then slammed the flat door as Mehmet returned to his own apartment. And so the assaults continued.

Death Threats Against Wife and Neighbours

A few weeks later, Erna and Alfons became parents to a baby girl. Eight days after the birth, Erna returned home. Anyone who believed peace would follow was mistaken. That same evening, the neighbours again heard Alfons shouting at and apparently assaulting his wife. Mehmet ran upstairs to the neighbours’ flat and knocked on the door, shouting that Alfons should leave his wife alone or he would call the police. The flat immediately fell silent. Then Alfons – armed with a knife – flung the door open. Mehmet fled in panic, and Alfons ran after him, but Mehmet managed to reach his flat safely. The violent man loudly threatened to slit Mehmet’s throat if he contacted the police. Mehmet and Ali were so frightened that they took no action.

One day, Alfons ran out of the house again. Erna, carrying her small daughter and two large bags, came down the stairs. Mehmet opened his door and asked her and Ali to step inside for a moment. Erna hesitated but then followed the request. For the next half hour, the two Turkish men urged her to leave her husband, explaining that such behaviour was unacceptable and that Alfons might eventually assault their young daughter as well. Erna wept. She was so afraid that Alfons would kill her if she left that she returned to his flat, and the assaults continued – shouting, rampaging, beatings, and so forth.

Attempted Escape

About six months later, Alfons ran out of the house again. Shortly afterwards, Erna, carrying her daughter and two large bags, left the flat, apparently intending to finally leave Alfons. Mehmet heard her descend the stairs and opened his door. She told him she was going to her parents’ home with her daughter and would stay there until she found her own flat. While they spoke in the corridor, the front door downstairs was unlocked. Alfons had returned. Thinking quickly, Ali grabbed the two large bags, while Mehmet pulled Erna and her child into his flat. They waited until Alfons returned to his apartment upstairs. Soon after, he ran down the stairs again and hammered on Mehmet’s door. When Mehmet opened it, Alfons demanded to know where Erna was. Mehmet lied, claiming he did not know. Alfons raged, saying she could not be far as the pram was still in the corridor. Then he ran out again.

This episode was enough to drain all courage from Erna. She took her bags and her daughter and returned to her flat. Mehmet and Ali, unable to contact the police for fear of exposing Erna’s planned escape, instead sought help from the private detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund, to ensure the operation remained completely discreet.

Evidence Collection and Organised Escape with Detective Assistance

Our investigators subsequently documented the acoustically indisputable assaults on Erna as witnesses. One evening, following a typical argument, Erna grabbed her child’s essential items and packed them into two plastic bags. Alfons had again run out, and, according to the plan devised with our detectives, he was monitored on the street. When he began to return, one of our investigators approached and intercepted him using a pre-arranged cover story. Meanwhile, Erna left the flat accompanied by another Dortmund detective and her neighbour Mehmet, who provided additional protection if required. Erna, her child, and the two bags were hurriedly placed in a vehicle, which transported them to a temporary safe house organised by Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund. Mother and child remained there for a few days until the situation calmed.

Confrontation Between the Perpetrator and Our Dortmund Investigators

When Alfons returned to find the flat empty, Mehmet and Ali heard him shouting wildly. The violent man ran to Mehmet’s door, knocking and hammering. From inside, the occupants shouted for him to leave or they would call the police. When Alfons attempted to force the door, Mehmet – armed with an iron fire poker – and Ali threatened to beat him severely if he did not return to his apartment. Alfons disappeared. Shortly thereafter, he was confronted by two of our private detectives and two bodyguards from a security service cooperating with Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund. The investigators explained the situation and presented court-admissible evidence of his violent behaviour against Erna. They warned that if anything happened to her or the child, prison would be inevitable. Alfons appeared intimidated and quietened. He no longer wanted anything to do with “that woman” and demanded to be left alone.

Four days later, Erna returned with several strong colleagues to collect her remaining belongings. She discovered that Alfons had removed and, according to his own calm account, sold a gold-plated 24-person Hutschenreuther dinner set (a gift from her parents) and a record collection with rare editions, allegedly because she had left him without food. Erna took her possessions and those of her daughter, went downstairs to Mehmet and Ali, and thanked them for their help. She saw her husband only once more – at the divorce hearing. After these events, she regrettably turned her back on the Ruhr region.

Note

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