Stealthing more typically involves the non-consensual removal of a condom during sex.
Stealthing more typically involves the non-consensual removal of a condom during sex.
A German woman has been jailed for six months after she was convicted of poking holes in her partner's condoms – without his knowledge – in a bid to "steal" his sperm.
The 39-year-old entered a "friends with benefits" arrangement with the 42-year-old man after meeting him online at the start of 2021, according to local media.
But, what began as a casual sexual relationship changed when she began to develop deeper feelings for him – despite knowing he had no intention of entering a committed relationship.
It was then that, according to DW, she poked holes in the package of condoms he kept in his nightstand, hoping to get pregnant.
While her efforts were unsuccessful, she later told her partner she believed she was pregnant and that she'd deliberately damaged his condoms, prompting him to press criminal charges against her.
The court in Bielefeld, western Germany was told that the woman's behaviour constituted as an act of "stealthing" – which typically involves the non-consensual removal of a condom during sex, and is perpetrated by a male.
Prosecutors were at first unsure about which specific charges to level against the woman – first investigating whether the crime constituted rape, before Judge Astrid Salewski decided a charge of sexual assault was better suited.
A German woman has been jailed for six months after she poked holes in her partner's condoms without his knowledge to allegedly "steal" his sperm. Photo / 123RF
After finding the woman guilty and handing her a six-month suspended sentence, Ms Salewski reportedly told the court that they had "written legal history here today".
Explaining what stealthing entails and noting it's often carried out by a man, she added that "this provision also applies in the reverse case".
"The condoms were rendered unusable without the man's knowledge or his consent," Ms Salewski said of her decision.
"'No' means 'no' here as well."
Wellington man Jesse Campos was convicted of rape in a landmark case after he removed a condom without the consent of a sex worker - but for many survivors of "stealthing", justice may be harder to come by.
Getting a conviction for sexual offending in New Zealand is notoriously difficult but this case has given hope to many survivors and helped shed light on the form of sexual assault called "stealthing" - which is when a person removes a condom during sex without the consent of the other participant.
Victims often face hurdles proving a crime occurred because there's usually no record of the conversation with the perpetrator around consent and the use of a condom.
A perpetrator can also say the condom came off by accident.
When it is explicitly said that the sex is only consented to on the condition that a condom is worn, the non-consensual removal of the prophylactic means that it is no longer consensual sex - it's rape.
