Because of the abuse of a 15-year-old student, a 31-year-old teacher of the Christian school community Ubbo Emmius in Stadskanaal has to sit for 30 months. That is what the Public Prosecution Service (OM) demands.
The (now former) teacher from the Borger-Odoorn municipality denies that he had a relationship with the girl and touched her, despite an avalanche of compromising messages on his phone. The Public Prosecution Service states that he entered into a love affair as the girl’s mentor, which eventually led to sex with the child.
At the beginning of April 2022, the teacher reported to the director of the Ubbo Emmius that he was being blackmailed by two of the girl’s cousins with (according to him) falsified conversations between him and the girl. The director did not change his mind and called the police who launched an investigation.
The girl, who struggles with anxiety and depression, initially denied the relationship because she hoped the teacher wanted to continue the relationship with her. The teacher would have said that he would leave his wife.
When she heard from a friend that she had seen the teacher hugging his wife, she concluded that there was no future together and admitted that she had indeed had a relationship. According to the suspect’s lawyer, the girl was put under heavy pressure by her family to accuse the teacher. Her statements would contain contradictions, according to the lawyer.
However, the Public Prosecution Service does not rely solely on the girl’s statements. In fact, the phone of the completely denying teacher contained a large number of conversations between the two. The teacher writes: ‘Who am I spoiling? Who do I kiss? Who do I hug? Who do I love? You!’ “This is a declaration of love,” mumbles one of the judges. The suspect says he cannot remember this message.
At another time, the man complains that the vulnerable girl does not want a Valentine’s letter. “You don’t even want my Valentine’s letter expressing my feelings,” he writes. The suspect says he never wrote the child a Valentine’s letter. “Then it is very coincidental that a Valentine’s letter from you was found in the victim’s phone,” says the judge. In this letter, the teacher gives free rein to his feelings: “You are really very special and special to me. When you send an app, my heart skips a beat. Being secretly together makes it really exciting’.
At another time, he’s sulking, “Because I’m not even getting ‘good morning honey’ yet, no ‘good night honey’.” The suspect about this: “I understand that this can come across wrong. I sometimes say ‘darling’ more often. Also to students.”
At one point he angrily writes to her: ‘Then go, if I’m not good enough’. “You’re talking to a girl with anxiety and depression this way,” the judge exclaimed. The suspect: “I wanted to show that I was there for her if she needed a conversation.”
The victim tells how the affair has left deep marks in her life. “I still had to go to school every day. I felt everyone looking at me. I couldn’t hide. I thought school would be safe. I hope I was your only victim.”
The teacher now works as a financial advisor for the municipality. “I made the switch because I don’t want to get into this situation again, I’ve lost confidence,” says the suspect. “Isn’t it your own fault that you got into this situation”, the judge asks. In his closing words, the suspect partly blames the victim. “She probably stated incorrectly because of her problems and her home situation.”
The public prosecutor is demanding a professional ban in addition to the prison sentence. The court will rule on May 11.