Recommendations of the Editorial team
In the case of the allegations that Collien Fernandes made against her ex-husband Christian Ulmen, the Itzehoe public prosecutor’s office is now assuming initial suspicion against Ulmen. According to the authority, the evaluation of “Spiegel’s” reporting led to this new assessment. The proceedings were initially discontinued. The public prosecutor’s office is now examining whether other criminal offenses could be considered in addition to the accusation of stalking. At the same time, the authority emphasized to AFP that the presumption of innocence applies to Elmen.
New assessment of the investigative authority
According to the public prosecutor’s office, stalking can result in a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine. The investigating authority did not want to provide further details about the ongoing proceedings.
The basis is Section 238 of the Criminal Code, which regulates the criminal offense of stalking, commonly referred to colloquially as stalking. According to “Bild”, the investigations relate to paragraph 1 numbers 7 and 8. This refers to cases in which content is distributed or made publicly available that is capable of making a person contemptuous or degrading them in the public eye, and this is done under the pretense of their authorship. Comparable actions are also covered.
Report against unknown persons and discontinued investigation
It had already become known that the Itzehoe public prosecutor’s office had reopened the investigation into a criminal complaint from Collien Fernandes from 2024. The proceedings were initially discontinued in June 2025.
According to earlier information from the authority, Fernandes filed a complaint against unknown persons with the police in Berlin in November 2024. The reason was a fake account that was supposedly created under her name. The Itzehoe public prosecutor’s office took over the proceedings because, according to them, the reported act had been noted in their area of responsibility, as Senior Public Prosecutor Peter Müller-Rakow explained.
Dispute over the course of the proceedings
The public prosecutor’s office had also said that Fernandes had been asked to send documents important to the investigation. Since from the authorities’ point of view this did not happen and there were therefore no decisive investigative approaches to identifying the perpetrator, the proceedings were discontinued.
However, Fernandes contradicted this representation to “Bild” and “Tagesspiegel”. This left it unclear why the investigation was initially not continued and on what basis the new assessment was now made.
Serious allegations and ongoing proceedings in Spain
According to Fernandes, Ulmen pretended to be her, had sexual conversations with some of the men contacted and sent them erotic images and videos. This content is said to have given the impression that it was recordings of Fernandes.
The actress also filed a complaint in Mallorca. According to a justice spokeswoman on the Spanish Mediterranean island, this process is still at a very early and confidential stage.
Lawyer announces legal action
The presumption of innocence still applies to Christian Ulmen. His lawyer Christian Schertz announced legal action against the reporting. He explained that it was largely inadmissible suspicious reporting. In addition, untrue facts are spread based on a one-sided description.
