Investigation launched into child sex abuse by Rotterdam coach

The Public Prosecutor launched an investigation into Jerry M., an athletics coach from Rotterdam who confessed to sexually abusing a number of teenage girls for years, NOS reports.

The 58-year-old man confessed this past summer after an investigation by the sports and judiciary institute ISR. The ISR found that M. abused at least nine victims, the youngest of whom was 11 years old, between 1983 and 2017 at various athletics clubs in Rotterdam and The Hague.

In the 1980s the man had unprotected sex with at least four athletes between the ages of 11 and 18 for years. Two of them became pregnant. Between 2008 and 2017 the ISR found more misconduct, including border-crossing massages and sexual harassment. The ISR stated that there may be more victims, but the investigation was limited to the nine girls "for procedural reasons". The institute also noted that M. did not express any remorse or empathy.

The investigation and M.'s confession led to his expulsion from the Athletics Union after 35 years of being a member. Until now, no criminal investigation was done because no charges were pressed against M. However, the police did receive reports about the man.

The Public Prosecutor will now investigate these reports, as well as the ISR investigation. After that investigation, the Public Prosecutor will decide whether M. can be prosecuted. A hotline was created for people who have information that can be useful in this investigation.