Fact Check: Viral video of mother shooting child’s rapist in court is from movie, not actual footage
The actor seen in the viral clip is Marie Colbin, an Austrian actor.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 20 Aug 2024 11:13 AM GMT
Claim: A video shows Marianne Bachmeier shooting the rapist of her 7-year-old daughter in a German courtroom.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The video is a scene from a movie based on a real incident.
Hyderabad: Amid the nationwide outrage over the Kolkata rape-murder case, a video has gone viral among Indian netizens claiming to show Marianne Bachmeier, a German woman, who shot the man accused of raping her 7-year-old daughter in court.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “Everyone needs to be Marianne Bachmeier. This is Marianne Bachmeier, a brave German woman, who shot the rapist of her 7-year-old innocent daughter in court. After which he was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment. #JusticeForRGKar” (Archive)
Similar posts can be seen here and here. (Archive), (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading.
A reverse image search led to the clip’s extended version uploaded on YouTube titled ‘Marianne Bachmeier: I did it for you, Anna.’
The video hinted that the clip is a reenactment, not actual footage.
A keyword search of the YouTube title led to another YouTube video titled ‘Der Fall Marianne Bachmeier: Keine Zeit für Tränen’ (The Bachmeier Case: No Time for Tears).
The 90-minute video (approx.) is a German film where at the 1:19:30-hour mark, the viral clip shot from another angle can be seen. The woman wearing the long beige-coloured overcoat can be seen in both videos.
Further investigation led us to the film website IMDb which provided more details about the German movie ‘Der Fall Bachmeier - Keine Zeit für Tränen’, which translated to ‘The Bachmeier Case - No Time for Tears’. The movie was directed by Hark Bohm and released in 1984. The movie’s plot synopsis is ‘A mother shoots the murderer of her daughter in the courtroom.’
According to the cast list, the actor seen in the viral clip is Marie Colbin, an Austrian actor.
Additionally, information from Letterboxd stated that the movie is based on a real incident involving a criminal court case from the 1980s in Germany.
The description stated that the movie is about Marianne Bachmeier who stood trial for murder after she shot the man who had strangled her seven-year-old daughter, likely after sexually assaulting her.
An article from The Mirror titled ‘Mom Fired Eight Shots at Predator Who Killed Daughter, 7, in the Middle of Courtroom as He Stood Trial’ confirmed that the movie is based on a true story.
According to the article, Marianne Bachmeier was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison, although she was released after serving three years.
Hence the claim is misleading. The video being shared online is not actual footage of the courtroom shooting but a scene from a movie based on Marianne Bachmeier’s true story.
