The young, vulnerable victim was forced to perform and undergo highly extensive and degrading sexual acts on camera, resulting in physical and psychological harm. The recorded images ended up on online platforms, on accounts created and managed by the suspect for so-called ‘fans’. Videos that will never disappear. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect exploited the woman for an extended period in such a way that it constituted sexual exploitation and thus human trafficking. The sentence demanded against the 43-year-old man from Arnhem: a prison sentence of 4 years, of which 9 months is conditional.
The suspect recruited the woman in late 2022, intentionally seeking someone who was vulnerable and could be coerced into extensive actions. From March 2023, the suspect provided her with accommodation and a workplace. Subsequently, the Arnhem man determined what content had to be created, even when she did not want to. He edited the videos and posted them on the platforms, maintaining ‘fan contact’ on the accounts, for which he managed the passwords and two-factor authentication. The victim could only access those accounts after obtaining permission from the suspect.
The core issue in cases like this, according to the Public Prosecution Service, is whether the woman acted of her own free will and whether she would have worked in the ‘adult industry’ in this way without the involvement and interference of the suspect. The public prosecutor stated: “In my view, the answer to this is: no. Limiting the victims freedom of choice is sufficient to assume the coerced nature of her sex work. Webcam work is a vulnerable profession. Physical integrity is at stake when someone loses, partially or fully, the right to self-determination over their body.”
Additionally, the victim was misled and her vulnerability was exploited. The suspect also applied violence multiple times. On top of that, the suspect made money from the exploitation of his victim. The Public Prosecution Service: “It is clear that the intention was to make money from this. How the money was distributed was incomprehensible to the victim. The suspect said he was going to ‘make cash’. He wanted to ‘lie on the beach’ within 2 years.” And from the money that ended up in her account, she had to pay for things and withdraw money to give to the suspect.
Ultimately, the victim filed a report. The Public Prosecution Service considers the statements she made to be reliable. They are consistent and detailed. The public prosecutor during the closing of the reasoning of the sentence today for the court in Arnhem: “This is a crime that deeply undermines human dignity. It has serious and long-lasting consequences for anyone who becomes a victim of it. In this case, it is particularly serious that victimhood arose while the victim had been in a very unsafe environment for a long time, without an escape.”
The Public Prosecution Service considers it very serious that the suspect trivializes the victimhood and does not realize the consequences of his actions. Because multiple disorders have been identified in the suspect, the Public Prosecution Service demands, in addition to the prison sentence, long-term treatment and guidance to reduce the risk of recidivism.