Man sentenced over German NYE assaults

A man who attacked another man in Cologne on New Year's Eve has become the first to be jailed following a spate of crimes in the German city that night.

A 21-year-old Algerian man has been handed a one-year prison sentence by a German court, making him the first person to get jail time for a crime committed on New Year's Eve in Cologne.

A court in Cologne found the man guilty of stealing a man's wallet near the western German city's main train station that night and physically attacking his victim when he tried to fight back, a court spokesman said on Thursday.

More than 1100 complaints were made to police and prosecutors following the New Year's Eve crimes.

More than 480 related to a sexual offence, ranging from harassment to rape.

In February, three men - two Moroccans and a Tunisian - were convicted of committing theft that night.

Two were handed suspended sentences, while a third was put on probation.

The New Year's Eve attacks sparked a debate in Germany about how to deal with asylum seekers found guilty of crimes and the country's ability to integrate the 1.1 million migrants who arrived in 2015.


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Source: AAP



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