Tantra masseuse who fled after being convicted of sex abuse arrested in Portugal

A tantra masseuse who had fled abroad after being sentenced in the Netherlands for sexual abuse has been arrested in Portugal, police say. The suspect is a 59-year-old man from Rhenen; he was arrested on Thursday.

The man is suspected of sexual abuse of more than six patients in his massage parlor. He was tried in April 2019, more than a year after his arrest, before appealing the decision. While waiting for the results of the appeal, he fled and crossed the Dutch border.

The masseuse was given a jail sentence of 29 months and one week with ten months on condition in March 2021. The verdict became irrevocable in April of last year.

A special police team started an investigation last October into the suspect's whereabouts under the motto: "What good is a conviction if the punishment isn't served," it says in a police statement. There was cooperation with other parties for the operation, including the Public Prosecution Service and the CJIB.

The Netherlands has asked for the man's extradition.