The 42-year-old paramedic from East Flanders who has made headlines for the shocking nature of sexual assault charges against him will spend the next eight years in prison
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Man who sexually abused disabled youngsters gets eight-year prison sentence
Lisa Bradshaw
Published:
A man from Lierde accused of sexually assaulting people with disabilities has been handed an eight-year prison sentence by a court in Oudenaarde. Investigators also found tens of thousands of images of child sexual abuse on the man’s computer.
The 42-year-old paramedic from the town of Lierde in the Flemish Ardennes volunteered at a hockey club for young people with disabilities. According to the public prosecutor, he pursued activities that would bring him into contact with youngsters he could more easily exploit.
He would win the trust of the players and then sexually exploit or assault them, or rape them. He would often photograph the abuse. The man had been carrying out such abuse for years in other contexts, including on his partner’s children.
Number of victims remains unknown
The public prosecutor’s case was built around seven victims with disabilities, both men and women, all now adults. Some of them are former members of the hockey club. The man’s total number of victims is not known.
The prosecutor had asked for a sentence of 12 years. The judge handed down a prison sentence of eight years, after which he will remain under the supervision of the sentence enforcement court for an additional 10 years. During this period, the man is not allowed to work in any kind of educational institution or organisation that work with minors.
The judge also imposed a lifetime ban on working with people with disabilities. “These are particularly serious offences, as you know,” the judge said, addressing the accused. “The court attaches great weight to the fact that you have committed such egregious abuses.”