Officer 'did not order torture'

The trial has revived memories of Gestapo tactics

A former Frankfurt deputy police chief accused of threatening a man with torture has told a German court he acted to try to rescue a kidnapped boy.

Wolfgang Daschner said he did not go as far as to order the torture of a man suspected of kidnapping 11-year-old Jacob von Metzler.

The child was later found dead and the kidnapper is serving life for murder.

The case has led to public debate among Germans about whether such means might be justified in extreme circumstances.

But the BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin says it has also set alarm bells ringing, evoking historical memories of Hitler's Gestapo.

Ends justify means?

It has also raised moral questions because Mr Daschner was trying to save the life of the kidnapped child.

Mr Daschner has widespread public sympathy. A recent opinion poll showed 60% of Germans supported him.

We wanted and had to save Jacob's life - I want to make it clear that at no time did I give the order to torture Wolfgang Daschner

Last year, he admitted threatening to use torture against the man, but his defence is that the circumstances justified his actions.

The events took place two years ago when the police were trying to determine the boy's whereabouts.

The kidnapper, Magnus Gaefgen, despite hours of questioning, refused to speak.

In court on Thursday, Mr Daschner denied that he had approved torturing the suspect.

"We wanted and had to save Jacob's life," he said. "I want to make it clear that at no time did I give the order to torture."

Hopes

He said he ordered "direct pressure" to be used on Gaefgen, which he insisted was permitted under state law.

"It is absurd to equate direct pressure with torture," he said.

Mr Daschner said police had still hoped to find the boy alive.

"We could either influence the suspect, if necessary by threatening direct pressure, in order to save the kidnapped child's life - or we could take no further action and, in doing so, accept the agonising death of the child," he said.

But Jacob was actually already dead.

The judicial epilogue surrounding Mr Daschner has provoked debate over whether torture is ever permissible.