Amsterdam police arrest Italian masseur for sexually assaulting clients

Police in Amsterdam arrested an Italian massage therapist on allegations that he raped at least one of his clients, and sexually assaulted several others. The accusations are linked to incidents reported in several different municipalities.

Officers took the 34-year-old Hilversum resident into custody on March 12, and police first publicly commented on the case on Friday. “The suspect worked as a masseur in Hilversum, Almere and Amsterdam and had multiple female victims,” police alleged.

It was not immediately clear how many victims are involved in the case, and police did not say if there were more allegations still under review. Anyone who was the victim of sexual abuse, sexual assault or rape should contact the investigative team handling sexual violence cases, police said.

Police working with the Amsterdam branch of this squad took the man into custody. “The man is still in pre-trial detention,” police said.

Under Dutch law, a district court can extend pre-trial detention by up to 90 days at a time. That means the man can be kept in custody until mid-June at the latest without such an order.