At least 31 victims in Barendrecht child sex abuse case, many from same families
The police have now identified 31 children who were sexually abused by a 45-year-old Barendrecht man, usually when they visited his children for sleepovers. There are several families in which more than one child was victimized. The abuse likely took place over a period of years, AD reports.
The suspect, a divorced father of two children, knew his victims through family, associations, and acquaintances. He physically abused several girls, others he secretly photographed.
According to the newspaper, the man struck when his own children brought friends home or to their caravan at a campsite in Noord-Brabant for a sleepover. Insiders told the newspaper that he may have drugged the girls first. The man’s daughter is said to be one of his victims.
The case came to light in September when two girls having a sleepover with the man’s children woke up unexpectedly while he was sexually abusing them. The girls told their parents, who went to the police.
The Barendrecht man turned himself in a short time later and, to the police’s surprise, immediately started confessing one crime after another. The number of victims quickly rose. After a few days of investigation, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reported 19 victims. That rose to 22 girls, and now 31.
Victim advocate Angélica Hamers, who represents 24 families, told AD that several parents are still reeling from the shock. “They are really wondering: what have we gotten ourselves into? Their lives have been completely turned upside down.” Many parents are having sex talks with very young children, she said. “They are also worried: what will their children read about the case in the media later on. They are also extremely afraid that their child’s name will end up on the street.”
Hamers wouldn’t say much about the children. “Some are now getting help, others are not. Parents mainly want their children to be able to remain children, despite everything.”
The case has sent shockwaves through Barendrecht. The house where the Barendrecht man allegedly sexually abused dozens of children, located 100 meters from a playground and across the street from two primary schools, has been vandalized several times. The municipality had cameras installed.
Locals are horrified about how large this case has become. “He was a weirdo, but still… You don’t expect this,” one local told the newspaper.
“He should not return here,” a 70-year-old local told the newspaper. “I don’t think that’s wise. There are many families with young children in this neighborhood.”
