The Court of Oost-Brabant sentenced a 64-year-old man from the municipality of Eindhoven to one year and three months in prison. He lured two girls (aged nine and seven) into the bushes and committed serious sexual acts with one of the girls while the other watched.
In July 2024, the suspect was in the bushes and approached the two girls as they passed by on their bicycles. He touched the nine-year-old girl and made her touch his genitals. He made the seven-year-old girl watch.
The girls told about the incident when they got home. The suspect denies all involvement. However, the court finds his statements about that afternoon not credible. He gave very inconsistent accounts of his activities that day and his presence at the crime scene. Eventually, the suspect more or less admitted being there but otherwise maintained an unmotivated denial.
The victims statements, on the other hand, are very credible and supported by other evidence. For example, the police observed one day after the incident that the grass at the crime scene was trampled, and a week later the suspect was found by an officer at the same location. The description of the perpetrator, given separately by the girls, matches that of the suspect. His phone was also at the crime scene at the relevant time. And surveillance footage shows a person matching the perpetrators description. The court establishes that this is the suspect.
Distressing
The suspect ignored signs of resistance. He even gave the girls a (hand) kiss and a ten-euro note, which gives the impression that he tried to silence the victims and make them feel partly responsible for what he did to them. The court finds it very distressing to hear that one of the girls thinks she made a big mistake by touching the man and is afraid she will go to prison if the man says she did it for ten euros.
The suspect fits the profile of the classic child lurer, a nightmare for many parents of young children. Such crimes also lead to public outrage and unrest. It is also relevant that the suspect does not take responsibility for his behavior. Instead, he assumes a victim role and even blames the girls parents for letting their children play outside without parental supervision.
In addition to the prison sentence, the suspect must pay damages totaling 2,250 euros to the victims.
Judgments
- ECLI:NL:RBOBR:2026:365