Swim teacher charged with preying in children could get 3 years prison

The Prosecutor’s Office of Noord Holland has demanded three years in prison –one of which conditional- for a 29-year-old swimming teacher from Soest accused of molesting his underage swim students.

A press release from the Prosecutor’s Office didn’t give the exact number of children the man molested, but made mention of “big numbers” of boys and girls between the ages of four and nine. The swim teacher, whose name was not given reportedly touched their private parts during swimming lessons.

After a parents filed a complaint in February 2014, police launched an investigation that resulted in 25 more complains and “a large number of other reports.” Police said several parents decided not to file charges for various reasons.

The suspect had meanwhile been suspended by the swimming association; the man was arrested on March 10 2014. When he was finally led before the judge on March 3 and 5, he insisted that he was innocent. The Prosecutor however found that there was sufficient evidence that he had molested at least 18 of the children.

The release explained that the length of the jail time demanded was based on the suspect’s accountability. The Prosecutor’s Office had requested a psychological evaluation and when the suspect refused to cooperate with that, he was admitted to the Pieter Baan Centrum (PBC), but he also refused to cooperate there. PBC was therefore not able to give report on the suspect. “Legally the result of that is that the suspect is considered accountable for the charges brought against him,” the release said.

It said the Prosecutor’s Office also took the vulnerable position of the children into account. “Children whose parents had given the suspect their trust. He shamed that trust.”

Aside from the three year prison demand, the Prosecutor’s Office also wants a three-year ban from working as swim teacher and working with children younger than 16. The man will hear his sentence in two weeks.