Suspect accused of raping child on train caught after second escape
The Public Prosecutor ordered the arrest of 22-year-old Adam V.B. on Tuesday in order to make certain that he attends his trial in the court of Zwolle on Wednesday. V.B. is accused of raping a 12-year-old girl on a train and the possession of child pornography. The Spanish man escaped trial twice before by not appearing in the courtroom, AD reports.
The man's hearing was first scheduled in January, but the man did not appear because he claimed not to have money for a train ticket. The trial was rescheduled for March. This time the man did not show up himself, and the police did not know that he had to be picked up. Because of the seriousness of the charges, the judges want the suspect to be present for the trial. "Because we want to look him in the eye and ask questions", the court chairman said during the second failed hearing in March.
V.B. is suspected of raping a 12-year-old girl under threat of a knife in a train toilet at the Zwolle station in May 2015. He also possessed photos and videos of sexual acts with a minor girl.
Lawyer Herman Ligtenberg is somewhat surprised that his client was arrested on Tuesday already. "It was more practical to do it tomorrow. But I'm not going to make a point of it", he said to AD. According to the lawyer, V.B. was planning to show up at court himself on Wednesday. "We already made arrangement, also with his family, on how we would go to Zwolle."
