An employee at the University in Tilburg has been detained since November for sexual abuse of three minor girls. That turned out Tuesday in the court in Breda, where this Sander W. (44), himself father of two children, appeared in court for the first time.
In addition to abusing three girls aged 15 or 16, he is also prosecuted for approaching two other young girls and making child pornography. He had sex with the different girls in Haaren, Nijverdal and Woudenberg. The girls who were approached lived in Tilburg and Gennep.
He made contact with all girls via social media such as Snapchat or Tiktok. He put the girls under pressure and asked them to meet and have sex with him. In at least three cases it succeeded between July 2023 and October 2024. Sander W. was arrested a month later.
A short search shows that the man has been working as a teacher at the University of Tilburg for over 16 years and as a researcher. He specializes in speech recognition and algorithms. With his own company he now develops games, he told the judges on Tuesday. The first game should have been released at the beginning of this year, but that has failed now that he is in jail.
“I realize that I was wrong and I feel guilty.”
Most suspects of fornication deny their actions, but Sander W. was strikingly open about what he did. “I realize that I was wrong and I feel guilty,” he admitted. “I am disappointed in myself and is also struggling with what I have done to those girls. It should not have happened. I will therefore ensure that it will never happen again. ” W. did indicate a few times that the ‘relationships’ were mutual.
Sander W. wants to wait for his process in freedom. He is having a hard time in prison, where men sitting on young girls are not really appreciated. W. also has difficulty arranging his divorce from the cell and that he cannot be there for his own children. His company cannot do without him either, he said.
But the judges had little ear for that. They saw that there is no chance of recurrence at Sander W. W. has abused and approached several young girls over a longer period and the latter is only a few months ago. And so Sander W. will remain in jail for the time being.
The case continues on 27 May.