A 37-year-old man from Bodegraven is suspected of sharing child pornography through an encrypted messaging service. He appeared before the court in The Hague on January 7 for a preliminary hearing. Investigations have also raised suspicions of sexual abuse of minors.
Evidence suggests that the suspect has additional victims from his time as a sports coach at a climbing association in Dordrecht between 2003 and late 2019.
The investigation found that the suspect frequently chatted about (physical) sexual contact with minors. He was also associated with the Zuidhovenkerk in Dordrecht from 2003 to November 2018, where he supervised childrens camps. Furthermore, he was a member of the Ichthuskerk in Bodegraven from November 2018 until July 2024. Its possible that through these churches, he met the minors he chatted with.
Chats about Abuse
The Child Pornography and Child Sexual Tourism Combat Team (TBKK) conducted an investigation in summer 2024 into the sharing of child pornography on encrypted chat apps. This was led by the National Parket of the Public Prosecution Service. The suspect attracted attention for sharing images of sexual abuse of very young children in various groups.
Boys and Girls
In these chats, he often discussed years of sexual abuse he allegedly committed against both boys and girls. He was arrested on July 26, 2024, and has been in custody since.
More Victims
The investigation into sexual abuse is ongoing. As the police suspect more victims exist, individuals recognizing themselves in these circumstances are urged to contact the police via schwaan.lo@politie.nl (‘Schwaan’ is the name of the investigation).
A follow-up hearing is scheduled for April 3.