Three guilty of coercing, pimping girls out to over 300 men in sex trafficking case

Three suspects have been sentenced for trafficking three girls, two of whom were minors, and eight men have been penalized for paying for sexual activity with the victims, the District Court in Breda ruled Thursday. The overall number of men who paid is reported to be around 300.

The girls, from Roosendaal and Eindhoven, were aged 15 to 17 when they were coerced into sexual activity between 2021 and 2023. One reported encounters with hundreds of men in hotels, cars, and private homes, with payments ranging from 50 to 3,500 euros.

The primary suspect was sentenced to three years in prison and a contact ban, and was ordered to pay nearly 20,000 euros in damages to one victim and nearly 10,000 euros to another, plus interest dating back to 2023. Most of the compensation reflects the money he took that the girls would have "earned" themselves. He arranged appointments, created advertisements, organized transport, and booked hotel rooms.

A 25-year-old woman was sentenced to 120 days in prison (81 suspended), 240 hours of community service, a contact ban, and 2,000 euros in damages. She introduced two girls to the main suspect, allowed one to use her online ads, and occasionally transported them. Although she did not take the girls’ money, she knowingly contributed to their exploitation.

The third suspect, a 41-year-old man, was sentenced to two years in prison (six months suspended), a contact ban, and 2,500 euros in damages. He had sexual contact with two underage victims, produced videos, and made child pornography, contributing to the exploitation of one girl whose images were used in advertisements.

Eight men who paid for sexual activity with the victims were also convicted. They received community service sentences up to 240 hours, one day of prison, and damages between 500 and 750 euros. The court found they had not adequately verified the victims’ ages.

The prosecutor stated, “Children found in prostitution are, by definition, victims of others, of society, and of those who pay for their sexual exploitation. There is no such thing as an underage sex worker.”