Raoul Wüthrich goes back to the United States

The 12-year-old Swiss-American boy, Raoul Wüthrich, who was at the centre of an American court battle over charges he molested his younger sister last year, has returned to the United States.

Raoul’s parents, Beverley and Andreas, have split up and his mother has decided to leave Switzerland and return to her native America. Beverley Wüthrich has taken Raoul and one of his sisters with her to Tucson, Arizona.

Raoul was detained in Colorado for three months on incest charges in August last year. In May 2000, his parents filed a lawsuit against the police and prosecutors for illegally arresting and detaining the boy.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court, also named the Denver Post newspaper and the host of a local radio show. It accused the media of defamation and disseminating false information.

Raoul’s case sparked a media outcry in Switzerland and other European countries, after it was revealed how the boy was taken from his home in handcuffs, after being denounced by a neighbour.

The neighbour alleged she saw 11 year-old Raoul sexually assaulting his five year-old sister. The family said he was merely helping her urinate.

A judge dismissed the charges three months later on a technicality, saying the boy’s right to a speedy trial had been denied. The Wüthrich family moved to Switzerland after his release.

swissinfo with agencies