Dutch child psychiatrist caught having sex with boy, 15, in Nepal
Piet Hein van T., a 66-year-old child psychiatrist from the Friesland village of Makkinga, was caught having sex with a 15-year-old boy in a guesthouse in Katmandu, Nepal on Thursday. He was arrested with five others in a large action against child sex tourism, AD reports.
Van T. left for a vacation in Nepal two weeks ago. He was planning to return this weekend. According to aid organization Terre des Hommes, the man visited Nepal multiple times and was regularly seen in the company of young boys. He appeared on the aid organization's radar in January 2017 when he was spotted with a 13-year-old boy.
The man worked as a child psychologist for GGZ Friesland for years, before going to work at GGZ Drenthe in 2005. He worked part time as a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Emmen, Meppel and Hoogeveen. His employer Therapeuticum in Joure suspended him, director Dorine Abbink said to the newspaper. He was known as a "very good child psychiatrist", she said.
According to Abbink, the chance that Van T. abused children during his work is small. She never received any complaints about him. And after his arrest, no concerned parents came forward. "We are all incredibly shocked", Abbink said. "We are a small team and have a huge relationship of trust." The man told his colleagues about his trips to Nepal with enthusiasm.
The Himalayan Times, an English language newspaper in Nepal, reports that Van T. lured children with money and sweets. He maintained long-term relationships with minors. He was friends with the family of the boy he was caught with and gave them money for their children's education.. According to Terre des Hommes, he abused the boy since he was 11 years old.
On Friday the Dutch police searched Van T.'s home in Makkinga and seized data carriers. The police are investigating whether the man had more victims.
