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A former Swiss People's Party member faces charges of attempted murder and sexual abuse after allegedly drugging and recording an Irish girl and her mother.
A shocking legal case has emerged from the Swiss town of Untersiggenthal involving Patrick Frei, a prominent former politician who is now facing severe criminal charges.
Frei, aged 57, was once a member of the right-wing Swiss People's Party, known as the SVP, and held a position on the government body within the Canton of Aargau. Throughout his political career, Frei built a reputation for taking an uncompromising stance against immigration and advocating for significantly harsher sentencing for criminals.
However, this public image stands in stark contrast to the harrowing allegations currently brought against him by prosecutors. He is accused of repeatedly drugging and raping a Polish woman named Iwona and her teenage daughter, Paula, who is an Irish citizen. The nature of these crimes is particularly disturbing given the power dynamic and the betrayal of trust involved in their living arrangement.
The ordeal began in 2022 when Iwona and Paula relocated to Switzerland to live with Frei, where Iwona was employed as his housekeeper. According to prosecutorial evidence, the abuse started almost immediately, with the first incident involving Paula occurring just twelve days after her arrival in the country. Paula was only 14 years old at the time. The abuse continued for approximately 15 months, during which time Frei allegedly used powerful date-rape drugs to render both victims unconscious.
Prosecutors state that Frei recorded these incidents using a GoPro camera, creating dozens of videos that document the sexual abuse. In a particularly chilling detail, investigators claim that Frei abused Paula for a total of 40 hours spread across 40 different nights. Because the victims were unconscious throughout these events, they have no memory of the assaults.
The severity of the drugging led authorities to include charges of attempted murder, as the doses administered could have easily led to suffocation or death. The discovery of the crimes occurred in September 2023 when Iwona caught Frei exiting her daughter's bedroom while carrying the GoPro camera. After she alerted the police, officers reviewed the footage and arrested Frei immediately.
However, the aftermath of the arrest brought further trauma for the victims. Swiss immigration authorities attempted to deport Iwona and Paula, arguing that the work visa Frei had arranged for Iwona was fraudulent.
Furthermore, the state initially denied them full social welfare payments, claiming they were only eligible for emergency financial assistance since they had no independent income. In an additional layer of hardship, police launched an investigation into Iwona based on allegations from Frei that she had stolen items from his home, though those charges were eventually dropped. The victims also faced challenges in seeking diplomatic support.
Paula, now 18, expressed deep disappointment with the assistance provided by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, noting that the lack of support felt heart-breaking. While the Irish embassy suggested legal remedies, it maintained that it could not intervene directly in legal matters. Iwona sought help from the Polish embassy. Fortunately, a Swiss appeals court recently intervened, reversing the deportation order and allowing the mother and daughter to remain in Switzerland for the time being.
The court also granted them access to standard social welfare rates to support their living expenses. Patrick Frei remains in custody and is scheduled to stand trial in February 2027. His legal representation has stated that he disputes substantial parts of the allegations and challenges the legal characterization of the charges brought against him
Patrick Frei Switzerland Sexual Abuse Human Rights Legal Battle
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