Former Teacher Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Sexual Abuse of Minor Students

The abuse came to light when one of the victims spoke with the vice squad in May 2024. She reported having had a relationship with the suspect, who was her teacher at her high school in Zeist. According to the victim, she was 17 years old at the start of the relationship and the suspect was 38. A few months later, two other reports of (attempted) abuse were filed. These reports concern the period when the suspect worked as a student coordinator at another high school in Almere. Both victims were 16 years old. The suspect was arrested by the police in January 2025. Investigations of the suspects phones revealed he had much online contact with minor girls. This contact was often sexual. Child pornographic material was also found on his phones. Some of this material he had created himself using a screen recorder app. Several of these victims also filed charges against the suspect.

The court finds the victims statements reliable. However, these reliable statements alone are not enough. To convict in sex cases, statements must be supported by other evidence. In this case, the court sees the pattern in the suspects modus operandi as supporting evidence. The statements correspond on multiple points and show that the suspect acted in the same way with the three victims of (attempted) abuse. The victims ages match the suspects sexual preference, who stated in court that he is sexually attracted to girls from about fourteen years old. The victims were insecure and sought support from the suspect, who took a coaching role. The contact started innocently but then the suspect progressed to physical contact at school. Subsequently, the online contact became explicitly sexual (sexting), and he had the victims send nude photos and videos. Two victims came to his home, where the abusive acts took place. He also had sex with them. Online, he deceived multiple victims by pretending to be a sixteen-year-old on Snapchat. The suspect gave these victims specific instructions for the nude photos they had to send.

The suspect committed multiple sex offenses over a period of more than seven years. He put his own sexual needs above the interests of the victims and shamelessly abused the youthful innocence and curiosity of the victims. As an adult, and especially as a teacher, coach, and student coordinator, the suspect should have protected and provided safety to the minor victims. Instead, he severely betrayed the trust placed in him. The court sentenced the suspect to 4 years in prison and imposed a professional ban for the maximum duration of 9 years. The prison sentence differs from the prosecutors demand (7 years) because the court considered similar cases and sentences. The court also imposed a contact ban with all victims and the suspect will remain under supervision after serving his sentence to reduce the risk of recidivism.