Barendrecht man subjected 18 children to physical sexual abuse: Prosecutor

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) suspects the 45-year-old suspect in the Barendrecht child sex abuse case of the physical sexual abuse of 18 children. Mels van B. also allegedly drugged some of them with sleeping pills. The other 13 children in this case are victims of other crimes. “Think mainly of making recordings of them,” the public prosecutor said in the court in Rotterdam.

The case involves 31 victims, girls aged 9 to 12. The abuse allegedly happened in Van B.’s home in Barendrecht and the campsite in Hoeven (Noord-Brabant) that he frequented. In November, the authorities already said that there were around 30 victims. The man also had child pornography. These are different images than the ones he allegedly produced himself.

The suspect did not attend the second preliminary hearing on Monday. The families of the involved children followed the hearing via a video link from another courtroom.

Van B. is scheduled to be admitted ot the Pieter Bann Center at the end of May for a psychiatric and psychological examination. He will fully cooperate, his lawyer said.

The case will continue on May 20 with another preliminary hearing. It is not yet known when the case will come to trial. “There is still a lot of work to be done,” the presiding judge said.