Martin Ney

Martin Ney (born 12 December 1970) is a German convicted serial killer and child sex offender.

Between 1992 and 2004, Ney murdered three boys in northern Germany. During the same timeframe, Ney was linked to the sexual abuse of 45 others during burglaries and while employed as a child caregiver. Ney wore a mask and dark clothing when committing the majority the crimes, leading him to be known as the Masked Man (German: Maskenmann) or the Black Man (Schwarzer Mann). He carried out his offences in school grounds and private homes.

After his arrest on 15 April 2011, Ney confessed to the murders of Dennis Klein, Stefan Jahr and Dennis Rostel. On 27 February 2012, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Stade district court for three murders and 20 cases of sexual assaults. The court noted particular severity of guilt, making it less likely for Ney to obtain parole after serving a minimum of 15 years under German law.

Ney was also suspected of the murders of Jonathan Coulom in western France and Nicky Verstappen in the Netherlands. Verstappen's death has since been solved and unlinked to Ney, though he remained a suspect in the Coulom case. In 2021, Ney was extradited to Nantes, France to face charges for Coulom's murder.

Crimes

In 1992, Ney carried a number of acts of sexual assaults were carried out against boys in Lower Saxony. The attacker always attacked at night, and was described as tall, strong, and wearing a mask. The attacks were carried out in boarding schools, school camps and youth homes. From 1994 on, Ney began breaking into single-family homes.

Between 1992 and 2004 Ney murdered three boys in Germany and either sexually abused or attempted to abuse 45 others. He also remains a prime suspect in the murder of Jonathan Coulom in Loire-Atlantique, France.