ANPThe court in Limburg
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L1mburg
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 23:03
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has demanded 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 that year.
According to 1Limburg more than sixty videos of the assaults were found on the man’s phone. Police investigation shows that between 2007 and 2021, the youth worker incited nine minors to systematically abuse and humiliate three other boys.
Images show victims being kicked, punched and spit on by the young people. Another victim had a gun put to his head and someone was urinated on. The Public Prosecution Service is talking about shocking images and believes that the man enjoys the abuse he had carried out.
At the hearing today, the public prosecutor spoke of a “sado-masochistic preference for young boys” on the part of the suspect. The man denies this and talks about “a pedagogical method”.
Paid and rewarded
The man is said to have paid the victims of the abuse and pretended that they were participating in a film. The ‘executors’ received rewards in the form of money, clothing and expensive watches, the boys explain. The youth worker himself did not participate in the violence, the Public Prosecution Service writes.
The boys who carried out the abuse were also identified as suspects for a while. On the advice of the Child Protection Council, the justice department decided not to prosecute the boys due to the pressure exerted by 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 demand damages from the suspect.
In addition to being a youth worker, the suspect was also chairman of a football club and a carnival association. He was also active in a church.
The court will make its ruling in two weeks.
2024-01-16 22:03:50
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