Arnhem elementary school teacher arrested on suspicion of sex offenses
A 35-year-old man from Arnhem, who works as a teacher at an elementary school in the city, was arrested on October 7 on suspicion of a sex offense, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed Friday.
The alleged incident did not take place at the school, the OM stated. The man remains in custody, with his pretrial detention extended by 90 days on October 24. The OM has not disclosed details of the case due to privacy concerns, but sources told De Gelderlander that the teacher is suspected of engaging in sexual acts with a child and possessing child pornography. These alleged offenses reportedly occurred in his private life.
A letter sent to parents by the director of the school in Arnhem’s De Paasberg neighborhood confirmed the teacher’s arrest. A copy of the letter was obtained by Omroep Gelderland.
One parent, whose child previously attended the teacher’s class, said their daughter has been taught by a substitute since October 7. The parent, who requested anonymity, said the teacher's absence had initially been attributed to personal reasons. “He always looked well put-together and was friendly,” the parent said. “My daughter, who doesn’t know anything about this, always spoke positively about him. He was a nice man. Like you often hear in these cases, we never saw this coming.”
The OM stated that the investigation is still underway but declined to provide additional information. According to De Gelderlander, no children from the elementary school were involved in the alleged offenses.
