Father of 19 accused of threatening kids with chainsaw, locking them in closets
Henk K., father of 19 children, is suspected of attempted manslaughter on one of his sons, sexually assaulting at least one daughter and abusing his children. This abuse included tying a son to a table and threatening him with a chainsaw, locking his kids in a closet for days and sexual fornication with an 11-year-old daughter, RTL Nieuws reports.
K. was arrested in September after several of his children filed charges against him. He has been in custody for over 100 days and will remain in custody for the time being, the court ruled today. Some of his children requested his release, but the court rejected that request. The court also wants him to undergo psychiatric examination at the Peter Baan Center.
The man recently denied the allegations against him in an open letter to local paper Bunschotenaar. He described the kids who reported him as "a man slayer, a pedophile and drug users". Some of his kids describe him as a "lovely father."
In an interview with regional broadcaster RTV Bunschoten in 2013, K. said that he raised his children strictly according to the Bible. "In the book you read that if you love someone, you chastise him. It includes that. But they think about that a bit differently in this country. You're not allowed to treat your children lovingly."
