Waddinxveen man suspected of sexually abusing 25 children

A 50-year-old man from Waddinxveen suspected of, among other things, molesting 25 children will appear in court in The Hague on Wednesday. For two years ending in October last year, the man allegedly sexually abused multiple children in Gouda, Gouderak, and Waddinxveen.

When Marco de W. was arrested in October last year, the authorities suspected that he abused five children. The man confessed, and the case was expanded considerably, the Public Prosecution Service said. De W. struck in outlying areas, pretending to be a forester, for example. He harassed children and made them perform lewd acts on each other.

The hearing on Wednesday is a preparatory session in which the judge will look at investigation requests and De W.'s pretrial detention.