ANPThe Limburg court
In collaboration with
Hamburg
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 11.03pm
The Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM) has requested a five-year prison sentence against a man (48) from Maastricht who allegedly incited young people to abuse and humiliate others for years. The man worked as a youth worker with vulnerable minors.
The case came to light in 2021 when the mother of a 14-year-old boy discovered disturbing messages and videos on her son’s phone. She went to the police. The man was arrested in October of the same year.
According to 1Limburg, more than sixty videos of the abuse were found on the man’s phone. Police investigations reveal that between 2007 and 2021 the youth worker incited nine minors to systematically abuse and humiliate three other boys.
The images show the victims being kicked, punched and spat on by the youths. Another victim had a gun pointed at his head and someone urinated on him. The Prosecutor’s Office speaks of shocking images and believes that the man is amused by the abuse committed.
At today’s hearing the prosecutor spoke of a “sadomasochistic preference for young boys” on the part of the suspect. The man denies it and speaks of a “pedagogical method”.
Paid and rewarded
The man is said to have paid the abuse victims and pretended they were taking part in a film. The “executors” received rewards in the form of money, expensive clothes and watches, the boys explain. The youth worker himself did not participate in the violence, writes the Prosecutor’s Office.
For a certain period, the boys who committed the abuse were also identified as suspects. On the advice of the Child Protection Council, the Department of Justice decided not to prosecute the boys due to pressure from the youth worker.
One of the victims was in court today. Statements from other victims were read by their lawyers. One of the young people suffers from anxiety attacks, another speaks of a change in his personality due to the events. The young people ask the suspect for compensation for damages.
In addition to being a youth worker, the suspect was also president of a football team and a carnival association. He was also active in a church.
The Court will rule in two weeks.
2024-01-16 22:03:50
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