A man claiming to be the last living relative of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was convicted of pedophilia after kissing a 13-year-old girl in Goerlitz, Germany.
Romano-Lukas Hitler, 69, is said to have lured the pre-teen girl into his home with promises of sweets, flowers, and even marriage in order to gain access to her. The girl, known only as Ania, reportedly became the subject of obsession for Romano-Lukas after her father placed an advertisement for a garage sale in a local paper.
The man claims that Adolf Hitler, who is responsible for the deaths of millions of Jewish people and others during and leading up to World War Two, is related to him through Alois Hitler, Adolf’s father. His relation to the murderous dictator remains unconfirmed as Alois’ family tree is widely disputed by historians.
Three brothers in Long Island, New York, however, are confirmed relatives of Adolf Hitler through his nephew, William Patrick Hitler who died in 1987. William, who was born in the United Kingdom to Adolf’s half brother Alois, Jr., initially joined the Nazi Party during his uncle’s rise to power but defected before the end of the war, moving to the United States and joining the Navy.
William Hitler eventually changed his name to William Stuart-Houston, which many considered to be a tribute to Houston Stewart Chamberlain, an early nineteenth century author of racist rhetoric often referred to as ‘Hitler’s John the Baptist.’
Stuart-Houston and his wife had four sons, none of whom had any children. Though one is deceased, three still live on Long Island in New York. They largely avoid the media but have dismissed the notion that they entered a pact to end the Hitler bloodline.
Romano-Lukas Hitler claims to be the grandson of an unknown younger brother of Adolf’s father, Alois. He rejected the charges of pedophilia, claiming he simply kissed the girl as is custom in German culture. “I’m innocent,” he said in court.
But Judge Ulrich Schettgen rejected his claim of harmless interaction asserting that Hitler has kissed the young girl “against her will on both the neck and cheek.”
Hitler says his parents died when he was young, causing him to end up in a monastery, eventually adopted by a Polish family. He described his surname as a lifelong “cross to bear” that cost him employment opportunities throughout his life. Witnesses, however, claimed that Hitler had a photo of the infamous dictator displayed in his home alongside a photo of German chancellor Angela Merkel.
