Sex Abuse Trial

A Turkish court ruled Wednesday that a German teenager, Marco W., will remain in jail until his trial resumes Sept. 6.

"It is incomprehensible why Marco hasn't been set free," one of his attorney Nikolaus Walther told the DPA news agency Wednesday.

Marco has "fallen in a deep hole," the attorney said.

The German teen is accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old British girl when they were on vacation in a resort town in the south of the country.

The teen is being held in a Turkish jail, despite requests by prominent German politicians, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, that he be returned to Germany. The prison ordeal has brought the teen to his breaking point.

Prison life distressing for teen

The youth has reportedly been held in a cell with 30 other suspected criminals and is allowed to see his parents for 10 minutes each week since being arrested for "sexual exploitation to the detriment of a minor" in April.

"He's at a psychologically low point," another of the teen's lawyers, Jürgen Schmidt, told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

He's gone back and forth between hope and fear, Schmidt said, adding that it is "unreasonable" that the case has taken four months to resolve.

"I'm hopeful of a good ending," Schmidt said.

The Anatolia news agency reported the boy would remain in prison until the next phase of his trial, set for September. No reason was given. Lawyers for the boy and the girl's family could not immediately be reached for comment.

Germany wants to take over case

The mother of the 13-year-old girl brought the case to Turkish police. The British girl has accused Marco W. of molesting her after a night out dancing while vacationing in a popular Turkish resort on the Antalyan coast.

Marco W., a high school student from the northern German state of Lower Saxony, has denied the allegations. He said the two did not have sexual intercourse, although they did kiss and engage in "heavy petting."

The Turkish court could put Marco W. on probation or sentence him to time in prison. It's also possible that judges will hand over the case to colleagues in Germany where prosecutors have already said they would take over. Turkey has criticized German interference in the case.