Childhood sex abuse victim should stay away from suspects’ hearing, lawyer argues

The attorney representing a 21-year-old man who was sexually exploited for years as a minor said Tuesday that her client should not attend the Utrecht court hearings because of his fragile mental state. She added that it would be irresponsible for him to be present at the trial of the three suspects accused of the abuse.

“The confrontation with the suspect poses a huge risk of flashbacks,” the victim’s lawyer said. “He has suffered extremely as a result of what happened to him and continues to struggle with it,” she added.

The victim is now staying in a shelter for victims of human trafficking. “Trauma therapy is not yet possible, as it triggers psychosis,” the lawyer said. “He and his parents say he has been destroyed. His childhood was taken from him. His future has been ruined. It is a huge black hole.”

The victim was young when he was offered shelter by 60-year-old Roelof E. from Amersfoort. “He was not having a good situation at home,” said E. “I wanted to help him. We had sex three or four times at that point," said the suspect, in describing an act that can lead to an accusation of rape under Dutch criminal law.

According to E., the sexual abuse started when the boy was almost 14 years old. According to the Public Prosecution Service, E., and a 61-year-old man used the boy as a sex slave and made him addicted to ketamine and GHB. The third suspect was E.’s partner. He is said to have played a minor role in the abuse.

In the spring of 2024, the police human trafficking unit launched an investigation into E. and the co-defendants. The men were arrested in September last year. Only E. was present at the trial. He is also facing charges for abusing his nephew and for possession of child sex abuse videos, crimes for which he has previously been convicted. Behavioral experts consider E. to have diminished criminal responsibility and advise the court to impose TBS with compulsory treatment.

Co-defendant Arie van der K. (61) from Huizen is in the hospital. According to his lawyer, he is seriously ill. The court has decided to suspend his pretrial detention for as long as he remains hospitalized.

The trial will continue on Wednesday with the prosecution’s closing arguments, leading up to the sentencing demands.