Prosecutors to appeal pedophile principal's verdict

Prosecutor's Office OM announced today they will file an appeal against the one-year prison sentence they deemed to light for a school principal found guilty of sexual offenses with a minor and possession of child pornography. Principal Ryan van de V. of Agnus Dei in Valkenswaard in Brabant received a year, half of which could be discharged, plus 120 hours community service, but the OM found this to be too mild a punishment. Offices of the Openbaar Ministerie, the public prosecutor of the Netherlands (mystic_mabel/Flickr) The sentence was handed down two weeks ago. Van de V. (49) was held after authorities found out that he had been committing sexual acts with a 16-year-old autistic student of his school; he claimed he had not realized he was committing a crime, as he thought he and the boy were equals. Authorities also found thousands of pornographic pictures and 23 hours of child porno footage in his possession. Van de V. claimed the porn belonged to a known British pedophile Tom Peters, who he shared living quarters with in 2005. The Agnus Dei school "For Vulnerable Children" was forced to close in the wake of the controversy. At the conclusion of the criminal trial two weeks ago though, the Judge threw out some of the charges, saying the OM had not worded it properly. Aside from sending the man to prison, the Judge banned Van de V. from serving as a school principal for five years. "That is not enough," an OM spokesperson said on Wednesday. The Prosecutors will be appealing the verdict, with the intention to get a lengthier sentence.