A 36-year-old man from Valthermond is guilty of sexual abuse with a 12-year-old girl, according to the Public Prosecution Service (OM). He touched her on a rug in a forest in Emmen. An eight-month prison sentence has been demanded against the man, half of which is conditional.
The man was depressed and felt very lonely, he told the judge in Assen on Wednesday. He also acknowledged sending nude pictures of himself and receiving them from the girl. This means that he is also guilty of making and possessing child pornography, according to the public prosecutor.
The Valthermonder came out of a long-term relationship in early 2021, he told the judges. He felt lost and he couldn’t start a new relationship. Via, via he came into contact with the girl. App traffic ensued. The initiative came from the girl, he said. “That does not alter the fact that I should have drawn a line in that,” said the man.
Intoxicated by alcohol, he joined in those conversations. Eventually it came to an appointment in a forest in Emmen. He sat with her on a rug for several hours. “Nothing else happened there, just talking,” the man said firmly. The girl told her mother that there was sex. According to the public prosecutor, it has not become clear what exactly happened on the dress.
“The girl was going through a difficult period and he took advantage of her vulnerability,” the prosecutor said. He also sees hugging and kissing as a form of sexual abuse, because sexually tinted conversations preceded it. The thirty-something has already been convicted of a sexual offense in his youth. “Even then there was loneliness and deep depression,” said his lawyer Tjapke Boelstra.
According to a psychologist, the criminal offense can be attributed to the man to a lesser extent. The suspect called for help himself. “Society will benefit more if this never happens again,” said the counselor. She pleaded for community service and the use of treatment.
The public prosecutor believes that the compensation of 4,000 euros should be awarded. “Agree”, said the Valthermonder, “paying them is the least I can do”.
The court will rule in two weeks.