Crying, 34-year-old T. from Breda sat in front of the judge on Tuesday. He made a big mistake in July 2020 by having sex with a 13-year-old girl. “But I really didn’t know she was that young.”
The man was very nervous in court on Tuesday. Sex with a 13-year-old is always punishable, whether you know her age or not. And T. has a lot to lose: he is the breadwinner of a young family and a prison sentence could cost him his job and perhaps even more. “That I took part in this,” he regretted. “I had a normal life with a good job and now I am a suspect in such a case.”
T. is not the only one on trial for sex with this 13-year-old. In July 2020, three men went to an apartment in the Tuinzigt district in Breda for sex. On Monday, four years were demanded against the main suspect who set up the ‘company’. And with the knowledge that the first customer had already heard a demand for a prison sentence of 12 months on Tuesday morning, T. starts his case.
‘Huge regret’
“I really didn’t know she was 13,” T argues. He deeply regrets that mistake. He explained to the judge in detail how this could happen: “Things were not going well at home between my wife and me and I needed physical contact. I saw a Xenna from Breda on Kinky.nl and an appointment was easily arranged via WhatsApp.”
T. rang the doorbell at the apartment and was let in by the 13-year-old girl. But in tight, sexy clothes and with a lot of make-up, she really didn’t look that young, says T. again. “I was also nervous because it was my first time having paid sex.”
Quick flat sex
T. did not see more than the hall and the bedroom. And after quick ‘flat sex’ with the girl he was outside again.
Nothing happened for 2.5 years, but then a letter from the justice department landed on T.’s doorstep. Curious, his wife opened the letter and read that he had to report to the police. Only then was T. told that he had had sex with a 13-year-old.
The justice system takes this seriously, as became clear during the hearing. Young girls are far from ready for this, the public prosecutor argued. And so they must be protected by demanding an unconditional prison sentence against men who abuse these girls.
Risk
The officer did not understand that T. had taken such a risk by going to an apartment in Tuinzigt through an advertisement on Kinky.nl. According to her, he would have been better off going to a company where they work with a permit and women over 18.
The police had tracked down the company of the main suspect (then 21) and his 15-year-old nephew when a 15-year-old girl went missing. She had run away from an institution and, like the 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl, turned out to be working as a prostitute in the flat in Breda.
The police immediately intervened and the four customers of the 13-year-old were also found through the contacts in WhatsApp. They will all appear in court this Tuesday.
Psychological complaints
T. was sentenced to 9 months in prison. Another customer 12 months. The other two customers are yet to appear in court.
T. was shocked by the 9-month requirement. He has had psychological complaints since he became a suspect. His wife and family support him. He now has to wait more than seven weeks before he hears what punishment he will receive on December 1.
On that day, the three other customers will also hear their punishment. The main suspect, his nephew (then 15), his girlfriend (then 15) and another friend (then 16) also hear what punishment they will receive for allowing the girls to work as prostitutes.
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