The Hague District Court has convicted a 20-year-old man of the online sexual abuse of 34 children. The defendant contacted his victims through online games before moving conversations to platforms like Snapchat and Discord to gain their trust. Over a period of nearly three years, he coerced 33 boys and one girl into sending sexual images and performing sexual acts.
Child sexual abuse via online games
The investigation began after three reports of online abuse and the production of child pornography. Police discovered that the suspect joined groups of boys playing computer games and later asked them for nude images in private chat groups. The accused paid the victims in cash or in-game credits. Investigators tracked the man through his bank account details and arrested him in July 2024.
While the suspect was initially released from pre-trial detention (voorlopige hechtenis) under certain conditions, he continued his activities. A mother discovered sexual conversations between the suspect and her son, which led to a second arrest. The suspect would have explicitly asked for sexual footage with the boy’s sister. Forensic examination of seized phones and computers revealed dozens of other victims.
The court heard that the man provided specific instructions on how children should position their cameras and perform acts on themselves. Although there was no physical contact, the judge ruled that the actions were clearly sexual in nature and not a form of experimentation. The defendant admitted he sought these images for his own sexual gratification.
Intellectual Disability
The court found that the man acted in a planned and sophisticated manner, showing a complete lack of empathy for his victims. Psychological and psychiatric evaluations concluded that the suspect has an autism spectrum disorder and a pedophilic disorder. Experts warned that without intensive treatment, there is a high risk of him offending again.
Although the defendant was a minor at the time of some of the offences, the court applied adult criminal law. The court sentenced him to five years in prison, which he will follow with mandatory psychiatric treatment (tbs met dwangverpleging). The judge also banned him from contacting the victims and ordered him to pay each child damages ranging from 3,500 to 10,000 euros.
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