Primary school teacher convicted of sexually abusing children to spend 8 years in prison

The District Court in Den Bosch convicted primary school teacher Bas G. of committing a long string of sexual offenses over an extended period of time. Many of the victims were young teenagers, but some were considerably younger children. His youngest known victim was just seven years old.

The Court sentenced him to eight years behind bars, and mandatory psychiatric treatment in an institutional facility. G. was a teacher at a school in Vlijmen for over 20 years. He will not be banned from returning to that profession.

The 45-year-old teacher had an extensive and meticulously maintained digital archive containing images of children, with whom he often contacted via Snapchat. He was accused of inciting them to commit sexual acts. He secretly recorded and saved these images. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect had 439 underage contacts on Snapchat, where he used the name, "Jeroentje."

In the eyes of the court, he "deceived and seriously abused" the children. "As a primary school teacher, he knew better than anyone that children are vulnerable and unable to decide whether they want to perform, take part in or view sexual acts."

At a certain point, according to the court, G. was no longer satisfied with the digital world and started looking for situations where he could by in physical contact with his victims. He was discovered last year after a report was filed against him by the owner of a naturist campsite in Elsendorp. G. is said to have approached a girl there and masturbated in her presence.

Approximately 5,000 images of child pornography were found on the suspect's computer, most of which were photos downloaded from the Internet. However, some of it also turned out to be self-made, including a number of incriminating photos showing children from his school. In one case, there was repeated physical contact between him and one of his victims. G. regularly met in a forest with a vulnerable girl who was 13 at the time. The two had sex during those meetings, which G. also filmed.

According to experts, the man has a pedophilia disorder and personality problems. The court saw no other option than to forcibly admit him into a psychiatric facility. The Public Prosecution Service also demanded a professional ban, but according to the court that would not be worthwhile. "That would be purely symbolic."