Former SVP-Kantonsrat Bernhard Diethelm received a 9-month suspended sentence for attacking and strangling a sex worker

>**Zurich High Court Sentences Ex-Cantonal Councillor to 9 Months**

>The Zurich High Court sentenced former Schwyz SVP Cantonal Councillor Bernhard Diethelm on Wednesday to a suspended 9-month prison sentence for bodily harm. The 41-year-old had attacked and strangled a sex worker.

>In addition to the suspended sentence, the court also imposed a conditional fine of 180 daily rates at 100 francs each and a 1,000-franc fine. The verdict is not yet legally binding.

>“There is no doubt that you attacked the woman and put her in a chokehold,” the judge told Diethelm during the sentencing, citing soft tissue injuries in her throat as evidence.

>However, the act did not meet the threshold for “endangering life” as requested by the prosecution, since the woman did not lose consciousness despite feeling dizzy.

>**Googling Chloroform**

>“What remains unclear is the motive,” the judge continued. He mentioned that in 2019, Diethelm had shown interest in knockout drops and added them to his online shopping cart. Shortly before meeting the sex worker in Zurich, he also googled “buy chloroform Switzerland.” Diethelm provided no explanation for this. “No one but you knows what would have happened if the woman hadn’t fought back.”

>The sex worker testified that she noticed a chemical smell when Diethelm put her in the chokehold. He had also told her in advance not to schedule any more appointments after their meeting.

>The High Court increased the lower court’s sentence by one month. The prosecutor, who had sought an 18-month suspended sentence, did not consider this a real victory, as he argued that Diethelm had restricted the woman’s breathing. “Forensic medicine considers this a life-threatening incident,” the prosecutor said.

>The sex worker’s lawyer described the encounter as “the longest minutes of her life,” stating that Diethelm chased her through the apartment and attacked her multiple times.

>**“Portrayed as a Monster”**

>Diethelm’s lawyer, however, dismissed the sex worker’s statements as “incoherent,” arguing that the events were “remarkably unclear” and that the 20 injuries she sustained, including abrasions and hematomas, could have been caused by other clients.

>Diethelm admitted in court to pushing the woman after she bit his finger but denied the other charges. “I’ve been accused of things that make me look like a monster,” he said, adding that his social circle had not been swayed by these accusations and had supported him during this difficult time. “There are also women who don’t demonize all men.”

>**Leash and Collar in Public**

>In 2021, the former politician from Wägital met with a 26-year-old sex worker for BDSM role-play. In their WhatsApp chat, where they arranged the meeting, he referred to himself as a “submissive piglet.”

>After realizing that the sex worker had likely called the police following the attack, he fled into the street—still wearing a leash and collar. (sda)