Joerg Kachelmann, the man who revolutionized German TV weather-forecasting, was arrested after his long-standing girlfriend had pressed charges of rape against him. According to the prosecutor in Mannheim, "a 51-year-old journalist" was arrested on arrival at Frankfurt Airport on Saturday in connection with charges that he had forced sexual relations on the woman after an argument. It was only on Monday that his name was revealed.

The incident is said to have taken place in February at the woman's home in south-western Germany. She brought charges, but the prosecutor only decided to arrest Kachelmann after investigations backed up the accusations.

Enthusiasm for the weather

Kachelmann is an amateur meteorologist who made his hobby into his business in the nineties. With his enthusiasm for the weather and his extravagant gestures, he blew fresh air into the dry world of German TV forecasting, in which off-screen professional readers would announce the weather.

His company, meteomedia, now has 120 staff, and is the largest private weather forecaster in Germany. As well as presenting the weather on German public television, Kachelmann also appears on entertainment shows.

Meteomedia issued a statement saying "Without wishing to prejudice legal proceedings, we regard it as unthinkable that the accusations could be correct." Meteomedia said that Kachelmann would himself bring charges against his accuser.

According to the prosecutor, if he's found guilty of rape, he would have to serve at least one year in prison.

mll/dpa/AFP/apn
Editor: Andreas Illmer