Four acquitted in appeal of Valkenburg teen prostitution case

Four men were acquitted of having se with an underage prostitute in Valkenburg on appeal by the court in Den Bosch on Wednesday. Another 23 suspected were all sentenced to one day in prison and varying amounts of community service. The court thereby largely decided to keep previous rulings in tact, NU.nl reports.

The 27 men are all accused of having paid sex with 16-year-old Kimberly at a hotel in Valkenburg in September and October 2014. The defense demanded that they all be acquitted, arguing that they did not know the girl was only 16. But the court found that the men should have checked the girl's age. The Den Bosch court did rule that it can not be proven that the men deliberately sought sex with a minor.

The court ruled that it cannot be proven without a doubt that the four now acquitted men had sex with the teenager. One suspect was given a higher sentence - 240 hours of community service and a prison sentence of 180 days, 178 of which conditionally suspended, with a probation period of two years.

Kimberly was pimped out by 21-year-old loverboy Armin A. He was sentenced to 2 years in prison in July last year. Most of the suspected clients were sentenced to one day in prison and community service.