A 54-year-old man from the municipality of Borger-Odoorn has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for raping a 16-year-old girl. He is also guilty of having child pornography and sex chatting with minors.
In May last year, the man took the teenager shopping in Zwolle. He had met her through Snapchat. He picked her up at her hometown. She told me at home that she was with a friend. After a short stop in Zwolle, he took her to his home. There he performed extreme sexual acts and penetrated her. That is rape, the judge says.
The man took advantage of the age difference and the dominance it gave him. He also did not take into account that it concerned a child who was not feeling well mentally and was self-harming. She didn’t dare resist him, especially when he grabbed her wrists and throat. He said the sex was consensual.
In addition, the suspect sent young girls harmful text messages. In all cases he knew the ages of his victims. According to the judge, this disrupted the healthy sexual development of the children. Moreover, the man does not take responsibility for his actions, the judge finds.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) previously demanded a prison sentence of 4.5 years. Despite the seriousness of the case, according to the judge, the fact that the suspect apparently has his life on track also plays a role. He has a job and an income, no debts and positive social contacts. The man has shown that he is able to independently seek help.