A 20-year-old man from Zelhem in Gelderland is suspected of sexually assaulting 14 children during swimming lessons, including raping 11 of them. The victims are between the ages of 4 and 6 years old, the prosecutor revealed during the first preliminary hearing against the man on Tuesday, RTL Nieuws reported.
The man allegedly raped and sexually abused the young children between August and early December last year, when he was doing an internship at the pool. The abuse happened within the pool’s walls.
The prosecutor also suspects the man of committing indecent acts with a 6-year-old girl in Hengelo in January of last year and of possessing child pornography.
Due to the severity of the charges, the court agreed to hear several witness testimonies behind closed doors, without the press or public in the room. That came as an unpleasant surprise to the victims’ parents, who want to know what happened to their children, according to the broadcaster.
The suspect did not attend the hearing and has been released from pre-trial custody. The next hearing is in two weeks, when the defense’s requests for further investigation will be discussed.