An Iraqi man has gone on trial for sexually assaulting a 90-year-old woman in a wheelchair in a hospital toilet in Germany.

Munthar Al L., 33, is on trial for sexually assaulting widow Lili F., whose full names were withheld due to strict local privacy laws.

The defendant pushed his way into the toilet of the Dresden-Friedrichstadt Hospital and abused the victim, according to the Dresden Regional Court in the capital city of the German state of Saxony.

He has been charged with ‘rape with wilful bodily harm’, according to Chief Public Prosecutor Lorenz Haase.

Lili F., who lives in a retirement home and who had gone to hospital for an emergency X-ray after a fall, said: “Suddenly someone pushed the wheelchair at the door and sat me in the toilet. At first I thought it was a nurse. But when he rubbed his hands between my legs and touched my chest without saying anything, I got scared.”

The defendant is also alleged to have touched the elderly woman’s genital area, and since then, she has been plagued by nightmares. To spare her from having to go to court, the police recorded her testimony on video.

The defendant, who lives in south-western neighbourhood of Gorbitz in Dresden with his wife and nine-year-old daughter, reportedly suffers from kidney disease and is a heavy drinker.

He was quoted as saying: “I drink eight beers and a bottle of ouzo every day.”

And he denies everything, saying: “She’s lying! I wanted to help, I just took her to the bathroom.”

The trial is ongoing.