A 62-year-old primary school teacher from Turnhout in Antwerp Province has been sentenced to 6 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of molesting 12 girls. The man has also had his civil rights revoked. A former Headmistress of the school where the man worked, who was allegedly aware of the molestations, was acquitted by the court.
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6 years for teacher that molested girls at Turnhout school
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The Criminal Court in Turnhout (Antwerp Province) has given a former teacher to a 6-year prison sentence and revoked his civil rights after he was found guilty of 12 counts of child molestation.
The offences were committed over a period of many years during the man’s career as a teacher. The 62-year-old taught children in the 4th year at the Sint-Franciscus Primary School in Turnhout. He was accused of having molested a total of 16 girls. He was convicted on 12 counts.
The court ruled that the offences were of an extremely serious nature and that the former teacher had abused his position. The fact hat he had no previous conviction was judged to be irrelevant when sentencing the man.
Molested in the classroom
Most of the offences were committed in the classroom, while his victim’s that he called “cuddle girls” were sitting on his knee. When they were molested, the girls were just 10 or 11 years old. The investigation into molestations got underway in August 2021 when the parents of a former pupil went to the police to lodge a complaint.
Further investigation found that a total of 16 young girls had been molested by the man. 4 of the offences were committed too long ago for a prosecution to be brought. The man was convicted on 12 counts of molestation. In addition to a 6-year prison sentence and his civil rights being revoked, the man has also been banned from teaching for 20 years.
The school’s former Headmistress also stood trial on allegations criminal negligence as she allegedly knew about the molestations but failed to act. However, she was acquitted by the court.