Police patrol the homes of German schoolgirls who murdered 12-year-old Luise as 150,000 sign petitions calling for the law to be changed so the killers can be brought to justice

Police are carrying out 24-hour patrols in the homes of two schoolgirls who fatally stabbed a 12-year-old classmate in Germany, it has emerged.

Officials urged people not to share the identities of the suspects – aged 12 and 13 – on social media for fear of vigilante attacks, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

Photos of the girls with the word “Murder” are readily available on various websites as outrage grows over the fact that both escape justice because they are under 14 and a criminal offense in Germany. A petition calling for a change in the law has now collected around 150,000 signatures.

Death threats were made against the girls online, and they and their families were taken from their homes in the sleepy town of Freudenberg, near Cologne, after 12-year-old Luise Frisch was brutally stabbed to death earlier this month.

Patrol cars are stationed outside the suspects’ homes and it is unlikely that their families will ever be able to return.

Police (pictured near the Freudenberg crime scene) have also asked people not to share the suspects’ names and photos on social media

A police statement reads: “After the murder in Freudenberg, the public prosecutor and the police warn against speculation and the consequent spread of false reports.

“Due to the great public interest and the sympathy that comes with it, rumors about the alleged background of the incident constantly surface.

“There is apparently speculation, especially on social media, that contradicts the current status of the investigation. The public’s need for information is very high in this case, but detailed information cannot be published due to the protection of all personal rights by the investigating authorities.

“The public prosecutor and the police therefore ask you not to participate in speculation, also to protect the next of kin, and not to incite any discussions about the background of the incident.”

Luise was stabbed more than 30 times during the attack on March 11 and her body was then pushed over an embankment in a remote forest in Hohenhain near Freudenberg.

The suspects even posted a picture of themselves on TikTok the next day, just as Luise’s body was found by the police after her parents raised the alarm.

A private memorial service for her will be held later this week at the Evangelical Church in Freudenberg, where her family held a service, and will be shared with friends at her school.

Despite public outrage over both girls not being brought to justice, judges and the Justice Department have said the age limit law is unlikely to be changed.

Murdered German schoolgirl Luise Frisch (right) is seen in a TikTok video with a 12-year-old classmate accused of killing her

The 13-year-old suspect also posted a video on TikTok showing her dancing just hours after Luise’s body was found

A senior official at the German Association of Judges spoke to MailOnline against a knee-jerk reaction to the country’s lowering of the age of criminal responsibility.

Law professor Gerd Hamme said that “decisions” made during “emotionally heated” events are not “a good basis” for law changes – as an online petition calling for a change in the law has gained almost 150,000 signatures.

Currently, the age of criminal responsibility is 14 in Germany – 10 in the UK – and the killing of Luise, the first youth killed by children in living memory, has sparked a huge debate about when a young person should stand trial must be brought. .

An autopsy carried out at the University of Mainz described it as a “bloody assault and wanton murder” – all of which contributed to calls for a change in the age limit for child trials.

Professor Hamme said: “In Germany it is the task of the legislature to determine whether 14 years is the correct limit of criminal liability. A change seems to me only necessary if the abilities of the children and young people and their maturity have changed compared to before.

“I have no evidence of that and the current time is in any case very unsuitable for making decisions about changing the criminal liability limit. Because the atmosphere is now very emotionally heated. This is understandable, but not a good basis for revising well-established regulations. Better to approach it with a cool head.

Flowers and candles near the place where Luise’s body was discovered last week

“There is public discussion about changing the limits of criminal liability due to the terrible crime in Freudenberg. However, the discussion is not characterized by factual arguments, but by consternation and horror. In my opinion, the legislature should investigate whether our current regulations are still appropriate.

“But they must put the Freudenberg case to rest before making decisions. The two alleged perpetrators cannot be charged by a public prosecutor and found guilty by a criminal court. But the state does not stand still.

“The youth welfare offices in Germany tend to do this themselves. There are several parental measures that can be taken.

“It goes so far that the children can be removed from their families if necessary. However, it is not possible for the children to return to their old, normal life. You will not stay in Freudenberg either. It is excluded.

“In any case, the location must be changed. It is also possible that there will be a name change at a later date. However, it will not be decided immediately.’

However, comments on the online petition outweighed Professor Hamme’s opinion as a change in the law was called for.

Desiree Engels said: “Justice must be done for them, a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old know exactly what is right and what is wrong. You can see the difference very well.”

Monice Bremer said: “Murder is not a trivial offense, everyone had to consider the consequences of their behavior, what monsters do they do so cruelly, what will become of them when they grow up if there are no consequences.”

Luise’s body was found on 12 March in a wooded area near the North Rhine-Westphalian town of Freudenberg.

Because of their age, none of the killers can be tried under German law, and officers removed them and their families from the area for their own safety.

A spokesman for Germany’s Ministry of Justice told MailOnline that it was highly unlikely that the law would be changed after the murder.

They said: “The violent death of a little girl is terrible news. It is deeply sad that two little girls seem to have committed this heinous act.

“However, there are currently no plans to lower the existing age limit.”

She added: “The question is whether a child can see his actions and their consequences in a given situation and adjust his behavior accordingly.

“According to experts in the fields of psychology, education, criminology and, for some years now, neuroscience, children under the age of 14 generally do not yet have the necessary moral and intellectual maturity.

Furthermore, criminal punishment cannot be considered an appropriate response to the misbehavior of such young children.

“The principle of human dignity and the responsibility of the state for the education and development of children is important.”