"For us it was real," gymnastics teacher says about relationship with killed 14 y.o.

The man suspected of sexually abusing and killing 14-year-old Esmee Kortekaas from Hazerswoude-Rijndijk explained extensively how their “relationship” developed during his trial in the court in The Hague on Monday. “For us, it was real, even if it was not allowed or acceptable. It should never have started and certainly should never have ended like this,” said Olivier van de G. (33).

The gymnastics teacher is on trial for sexually abusing and killing Esmee, moving her body, and possessing child pornography. He said he had long searched for the right words to respond to Emee’s parents’ emotional victim statement. “Words of regret for everything that has happened, there are none. The harm and suffering I have caused is irreversible. And I know it hurts you deeply. I will also carry that burden with me forever,” said Van de G.

Shortly before Van de G.’s statement, both Esmee’s parents battled their emotions while reciting their statements. “Disbelief, bewilderment, and sadness are the emotions that dominate our daily lives,” said Esmee’s father. “She has been deprived of her chance to grow into a woman. In our thoughts, she will always be 14. The line on the doorframe that indicates how tall she was will never move again. Esmee has been snatched from our lives.”

The suspect met the victim at a camp at the school where he was doing an internship. They kept in touch through social media until she went to meet him, Van de G. said. She shared the “teenage problems” she was struggling with and eventually told him that she was in love with him. Van de G. kept going further. He says he cannot remember the moment of her murder. They had quarreled, and he tried to resolve the problem by wrestling, as he often did, but it turned fatal, he said.

“Fed by her personal circumstances and pubertal discomfort, she must have been looking for something to hold on to,” her father said. “How can you take advantage of a young girl who was struggling with so many things in this way?”

“How can someone do such a thing? How can someone have a sexual relationship with a girl this age? And leave someone dead by a tree?” Esmee’s mother said. “Life has lost a large part of its luster. I have a massive hole in my heart. We could have enjoyed her love so much more. She has been taken from us. I was allowed to take care of her for 14 years. Last week, she should have turned 15. Nothing is the same anymore.”