An anti-vaxxer nurse who jabbed nearly 9,000 people with saline solution instead of a Covid vaccine has been spared jail.
Red Cross nurse Antje T., 39, was given six months of probation after being found guilty of six counts of intentional assault by Oldenburg District Court, Lower Saxony state.
She jabbed up to 8,600 elderly patients with what she told them was the life-saving BioNTech Pfizer vaccine at the Schortens jab centre in Friesland.
But it was, in fact, just a salt and water solution that would have given them no protection against the deadly virus.
Antje T. issued the jabs on mainly hospital employees, educators, and doctors above the age of 70 between March 5 and April 20, 2021.
Police told the court that she was able to introduce the saline solution undetected, because she was in charge of vaccine and syringe preparation during her shift at the vaccination centre.
But after more than a month she was reported by another employee who saw her use the saline solution instead of the vaccine on six patients on April 21, 2021.
The 39-year-old had additionally posted several social media posts where she openly emphasised her skeptical views regarding Covid-19 vaccines.
When questioned by police, she admitted to using saline solution but had said she only did it because she had accidentally broken a vial containing six shots and was ashamed to tell her colleagues.
She had also claimed that it was a one-time incident, but was immediately sacked after antibody tests that were carried out on the affected people confirmed authorities' suspicions.
In addition, Antje T.'s license to work as a nurse has been revoked.
Following the incident, state authorities urged the fraud victims to register for revaccination and emphasised that it is completely safe.
Antje T. in turn was initially charged with 15 counts of intentional assault at the beginning of the trial in November 2022, but nine of them were dropped due to no evidence.
Court spokesperson Torben Toelle said: "The public prosecutor assumed that not only six syringes were changed after a dropped ampoule, but that other syringes were only raised with saline solution and given to patients."
During the trial, the shamed nurse apologised in court.
Concerning the defendant's anti-vaxxer posts on social media, Toelle added: "The accused had shared various conspiracy theories on the internet and on social media.
"However, the chamber could not determine with the necessary certainty that this set of ideas was the motive for her actions and that she then acted to sabotage a vaccination campaign."
The verdict can be appealed within a week.
