Dutch man faces five-year prison request for livestream child sexual abuse
Prosecutors have asked a court to impose a five-year sentence on a 55-year-old man from Rijen for orchestrating severe child sexual abuse streamed online.
A 55-year-old resident of Rijen is accused of arranging and financing live sexual abuse of young children from poor countries, using a network of over 25 online accounts. After a U.S. tip in March, Dutch investigators identified his IP address and detained him at the end of April. Prosecutors say chat logs and video conversations reveal that he instructed perpetrators to perform sexual acts on two children in August, and he demanded exclusive video contact with potential collaborators, often asking about their daughters.
The suspect also held illegal material depicting abuse of real children and realistic child dolls, which prosecutors deem criminal. He was previously convicted in 2001 for possessing child-abuse images, a factor that aggravates one outlet charges. The court is expected to rule in about two weeks.
Why it matters
The case highlights the growing threat of remote child exploitation facilitated by online platforms.
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