Man sentenced to five years for sextortion, sexual abuse of girls aged 9 to 16
A 31-year-old man was sentenced to five years in prison and compulsory psychiatric treatment for sexually abusing multiple girls both online and in person, the Oost-Brabant court announced Friday. The victims were between nine and sixteen years old.
The man initially contacted a 14-year-old girl through social media in 2015. He developed a seemingly friendly relationship with her before persuading her to send sexual images, which he kept without her knowledge. Over time, their online relationship escalated to a physical one, during which he committed sexual acts over an extended period.
The court found that he continued this pattern with other young girls in following years. “He went about it very calculatingly,” the verdict notes. Using platforms including Snapchat, Skype, and Instagram, he often posed as someone else—a younger person or a girl—to gain victims’ trust. Some girls knew him personally, but most were unaware of his true identity. Once trust was established, he pressured the girls to produce and send sexual images and videos.
The man also sent images of his genitalia and, in prolonged conversations, forced the girls to send explicit content of sexual acts. In some cases, he gave specific instructions for films or photographs. Investigators recovered a large number of child pornography files from his possession, confirming both production and possession charges.
The court emphasized the severe impact on the victims’ development. “The natural development of love and sexuality of the girls was seriously disrupted,” the verdict said.
The court also highlighted that the man attempted to shift blame for physical abuse onto one girl, claiming she initiated sexual acts. “It is in no way the girl’s fault that she became a victim of the defendant’s sexual desires,” the verdict stated.
