Three men working at youth care facility in Alphen accused of sexually abusing patients
Three men working at a youth care institution in Alphen aan den Rijn were arrested in connection with the sexual abuse or statutory rape of at least one patient at the facility. The men were taken into custody after patients at the iHub location known as Rijnhove filed complaints over several months, beginning in August, according to Omroep West.
One of the suspects was identified as a 24-year-old supervisor Leidschendam, accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between July and September at Rijnhove. He was arrested earlier this month, and prosecutors said he took part in "very extreme" sexual acts involving the child.
The suspect denied the allegations during his arraignment hearing on Tuesday. His request to release him from custody ahead of his trial was denied by a district court, who ordered him to remain in pretrial detention at least until his next hearing, expected to take place within three months, AD reported.
The two other suspects were arrested in November, each accused of sexually abusing a minor at Rijnhove. They were identified as a 20-year-old man from Rotterdam, and a 28-year-old man from Maassluis. A court previously remanded them to pretrial detention, with their next preliminary hearing set to take place in February.
Clients at Rijhnhove filed complaints about the three men, alleging inappropriate behavior in complaints filed in August, September, and November, according to Omroep West. This ultimately prompted iHub to press charges against the men, who were staffed by an external organization, and report the allegations to the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate.
In response to the incident, iHub told Omroep West it will only schedule women to work as counselors during nighttime and overnight shifts. iHub provides child and family care, and foster care services at locations across Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Utrecht and Gelderland.
This past September, Rijnhove was sanctioned by the Inspectorate for failing to protect its clients in accusations suggesting the organization did not provide a safe environment. This followed reports from a year earlier suggesting violence, vandalism, and the use of cannabis by the children being treated there.
