These poignant words were spoken by the public prosecutor today in the courtroom in Zwolle. A 34-year-old suspect stood trial for online abuse of at least 33 young girls, all still of primary school age. He is also accused of possession and production of child pornography, involving images and videos of identified and unidentified victims. This occurred between August 1, 2020, and November 22, 2022. The Public Prosecution Service demanded an unconditional prison sentence of 6 years.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, over 100 girls are victims, of whom 33 have been identified. The prosecutor emphasized: “The blame for all this lies solely with the suspect. The children have done nothing wrong. I hope every parent has told their child that. It is clear that the dangers are greater than parents and children realize.” The case came to light after the father of one of the victims reported it to the sexual offenses unit. The prosecutor stressed the importance of reporting such cases, no matter how heavy and long the path of a criminal case can be. This may prevent more victims from being created. The suspect stated in court that he was only looking for distraction and to exert power because he felt unseen. Minor girls are easier to manipulate, he indicated in his statement.
After the first report to the sexual offenses police, digital storage devices belonging to the suspect were seized. It became clear that he had received and saved 546 recordings via Snapchat. In various chats, the suspect claims to be 13 or 14 years old. The chats also show that he knows exactly how young the girls he is in contact with are. The dossier details how the suspect tells these girls exactly what they need to do and how. It also shows that the suspect often tried to get some girls to involve a brother or say “a neighbor boy can also join.” Ultimately, the seized data revealed that there are 1640 images that can be classified as child pornography. The images show that over 100 girls, from all over the country, have fallen victim to the suspect. Of these, 33 have been identified.
“In the past, the world was a lot safer for children than it is now. At least as a parent, you had more control. You warned against child predators. Not to go with strangers. And to be home before dark. Nowadays, that is different. I don’t need to explain that to anyone in this courtroom or outside of it. The digital world of the internet, with social media like TikTok and Snapchat, dominates the lives of our children. And for this suspect, it was a world full of potential victims that he approached randomly and without any shame from his home, isolating them from their families.”
Psychological research shows that the suspect can be diagnosed with a mental disorder with narcissistic traits. Experts state that the suspect is partially unaccountable. It is concerning that the suspect has not been open about his actions and takes little responsibility for what he has done to his victims. During the session, very emotional statements were read out by (representatives of) victims.
The prosecutor: “Sometimes it seems as if online offenses are less serious than hands-on. But nothing could be further from the truth. That became more than clear today while listening to the victim statements. The girls are damaged, just like their trust in people. They feel ashamed and experience – completely unjustly – a sense of guilt. After today’s intense session, I am convinced that only a long prison sentence does justice to the seriousness of the facts and the number of victims.” The prosecutor therefore demanded not only a prison sentence but also mandatory treatment. The court will rule in two weeks.