Trial starts against man accused of sexually extorting 30 girls online
Gianni de W. (25) from Etten-Leur will stand trial from Tuesday on suspicion of sexually abusing 30 girls online. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), he tricked them into sending nude photos and then blackmailed them. The court in Breda allocated six days to the trial.
The public prosecutor previously spoke of the most extensive investigation into the online sex abuse of children. Investigators found a total of 171 victims, but the case is limited to the 30 victims, including 28 minors, who filed a complaint or report against the man. The investigation started with a report from a Noord-Holland girl who was 15 years old when the man extorted her.
The man made contact with his victim so on social media. Under fake names like Bryan.snapx and Bryansnelgeld, he allegedly offered the girls money for sending nude photos. He then allegedly threatened to post those photos online if they did not send more images. The practice is known as sextortion. “He made the lives of his victims hell,” the prosecutor said earlier.
De W., who has an autism spectrum disorder, has been in custody since October 2022. The police found 150 folders with girls’ names on his computer. The folders sometimes contained thousands of photos of a victim. The police also found a large amount of child pornography.
The suspect also allegedly asked some of his victims to have sex with her boyfriend and film it for him. The victims also include former good friends of De W.
The court set aside three days this week to handle the 30 case files. Some of the hearings will happen behind closed doors when the court discusses alleged crimes committed when the suspect was still a minor. The OM will recommend a sentence on Tuesday, March 19. The court will rule on May 8.
There is a lot of interest in the case, with 18 journalists, four cartoonists, and a camera crew for the broadcasters following the first day of the trial. The court has set up two video rooms.
“I have never seen so many journalists in a courtroom, not even at a murder trial,” the court president said. He called it good that this social problem is getting a lot of attention. “The press attention also has a downside,” the judge said. “The victims are young girls who are terrified that their identity and story will be exposed to the street. That they will be exposed for a second time.”
