Pastor’s tip led to man’s arrest for sexually abusing 6 daughters, granddaughter

A man suspected of raping his six daughters and one of his granddaughters was arrested following a tip from the pastor of a a local church. This emerged on Friday during the first full day of court proceedings in Dordrecht, local newspaper De Gelderlander reported.

In July 2020, the oldest daughter told their church pastor that she had been raped. He then called some of the family members together for a discussion, when five other daughters also admitted they had been assaulted by their father. The pastor then went to the police and filed a report on behalf of the five women. The oldest daughter, now 40 years old, filed a report herself, the newspaper reported.

According to the prosecution's statement, an investigation showed that the abuse in the home started in 1989 with the oldest daughter.

The 62-year-old suspect from Hardinxveld-Giessendam in Gelderland confessed to having sexual contact with his six daughters, but denied that he raped them, De Gelderlander reported. The man is also said to have assaulted a granddaughter, which he denied in court.

Prosecutors alleged that the most recent victim was his youngest daughter, who is now 20 years old. Her abuse is said to have started when she was 3 and continued as late as last year.

Some of the daughters were planning to read a victim’s statement in court as part of the hearing, which was likely to continue most of the day.