Police looking for child sex abuse convict who escaped from Nijmegen clinic

The police are looking for 40-year-old Ronald van Z., a man convicted of sexually abusing minors who escaped from a psychiatric clinic in Nijmegen. Van Z. got away on a black bicycle while on supervised leave from the Pompekliniek on Friday.

In 2014 Van Z. was sentenced to mandatory institutionalized psychiatric treatment for child sex abuse. According to the police, he sought contact with minors online and convinced them to meet with him. In two cases, the children were sexually abused. The victims and their relatives were informed of Van Z.'s escape and a specialized police team is looking for him.

The man is 1.84 meters tall with a normal to strong build, dark blond short hair, dark brown eyes, and a strikingly large mouth. He wears glasses. When he escaped on Friday, he was wearing blue jeans and a black body warmer with a read sweater underneath. Van Z. had a black backpack with him. He was riding a black bicycle with pink letters and a bicycle bag on the right-hand side of the luggage carrier.

Van Z.'s lawyer Job Knoester told NU.nl that the man is not acutely dangerous. The Pompekliniek also described him as "a low risk profile". A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service said the same thing. The decision to release the man's name and photo was not easily taken, the spokesperson said to the newspaper. "We only do this if the investigative tools that do not infringe on privacy do not produce the desired results."

This is the third escape from the Pompekliniek in over a month, according to NU.nl. In September another child sex abuse convict also escaped during a supervised bike ride. He was arrested again a day later. The clinic announced measures on Monday. All leave was halted over the weekend, except for necessary medical leave. And from Wednesday, psychiatric prisoners will go on leave with double supervision.