Woman found guilty of sexual assault for poking holes in her partner's condoms in reverse 'stealthing' case

• A woman in Germany was found guilty of sexual assault for poking holes in her partner's condoms.
• The woman reportedly wanted more from a "friends with benefits" relationship and hoped she would become pregnant.

A German court found a woman guilty of sexual assault for poking holes in her partner's condoms, reports say.

The woman was given a six-month suspended sentence in what the judge described as a "historic" case involving reverse "stealthing," according to Deutsche Welle.

The case involved a 39-year-old woman who was in a "friends with benefits" relationship with a 42-year-old man, the outlet said.

The pair met online in 2021 and began a casual, sexual relationship, but the woman developed deeper feelings for him.

She later confessed to secretly poking holes in condoms that the man kept on his nightstand in the hopes of becoming pregnant. Her plan did not succeed, and the man pressed charges against her.

Prosecutors and the court were initially uncertain of what specific charges to levy against the woman, Deutsche Welle said.

After considering whether the crime constituted rape, Judge Astrid Salewski of Bielefeld, Germany, concluded that sexual assault was fitting as a man could be charged for removing a condom without a woman's knowledge — which is known as the crime of "stealthing."

"Stealthing" typically refers to a person secretly removing their condom during sexual intercourse without the knowledge of their partner.

"This provision also applies in the reverse case. The condoms were rendered unusable without the man's knowledge," Salewski said, according to Deutsche Welle.

"No means no here as well," the judge added.