The 61-year-old, identified under German privacy rules only as Fernando P., was found guilty of aggravated rape, sexual coercion, dangerous bodily harm and other crimes.

The man repeatedly drugged his wife using sedatives without her knowledge at their home before raping her, the Aachen court said in a statement.

“He also allegedly filmed the acts and made the videos available in online chat groups and on internet platforms,” a court spokeswoman told reporters after the verdict.

Born in Spain, the man worked as a caretaker before being jailed in February while awaiting trial.

Awaiting his verdict on Friday, he sat in court, his face concealed from cameras under the hood of a dark jumper.

The case has drawn comparisons in German media with the high-profile case in France last year of Dominique Pelicot, who for years secretly drugged his wife and invited scores of men to rape her while she was unconscious.

The victim in that case, Gisele Pelicot, became a hero for many around the world with her powerful testimony and courage.

In the Aachen case, a lawyer for the victim said she “truly had a voice in these proceedings. She was able to testify, to express her feelings, everything that burdened her.”

The court handed down a sentence of eight years and six months in prison.

The ruling “won’t undo what happened, but it might help (the victim) a little to cope with and process things that happened,” the lawyer said.

The court spokeswoman said that police began investigating the man after receiving a tip-off about videos he was sharing.

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