A 48-year-old man from Assen is suspected of sexually abusing children in the time he was a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses. That would have happened in two different periods.
In 2018, the police raided the homes of members of the church in Assen and the headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Emmen. Now the man from Assen is being prosecuted for sexual abuse.
The Public Prosecution Service East Netherlands informs the Dagblad that it concerns abuse of a minor. This would also include rape, in the period between 1993 and 1997. Furthermore, in 2016 he would have committed lewd acts with a victim who was then 8 years old.
After the raids in 2018, it took a long time for the Public Prosecution Service to make a decision about prosecution. This is partly the result of the resistance by the board of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
That found the raids and the seizure of documents unlawful. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the elders may keep secret information that they have heard as spiritual counselors. The court largely agreed with the board, which meant that the Public Prosecution Service was not allowed to use the information and documents that had been seized. There were also documents from the investigation into the suspect from Assen.
The Public Prosecution Service has now decided to prosecute on the basis of information that may be used. The criminal case will be heard this summer, the newspaper writes.