Sharp rise in sex crime reports; Hundreds of victims waiting months for investigation
The police received 15,500 reports of sex crimes like rape, sexual assault, incest, child sex abuse, and grooming in 2022. That is a sharp increase compared to the 12,000 reports in 2020. The number of charges pressed increased from 2,900 to 3,400 in that time, AD reports.
Due to the significant increase in reports, hundreds of cases have to wait months before the police have the capacity to investigate. Currently, 856 victims have been waiting for more than six months.
The police’s sex crime department is on schedule to recruit and train more detectives, for which the government made 12.5 million euros extra available in recent years. “But if we get 30 percent more cases and 8 percent more employees, then it is clear to everyone where the problem is,” Lidewijde van Lier, a sex crime expert at the police, said to the newspaper.
According to Van Lier, the police are working hard on an action plan to help sex crime victims faster and better. For example, they’re looking more critically at victims’ needs and which cases are promising for prosecution and which are not. “In some cases, you know that even if we put 500 detectives on it, it will not lead to prosecution. For example, because it happened too long ago or there are no evidence and traces. Victims usually understand that, but we can do everything possible to help them further.”
Criminal law is not always the best solution, Van Lier said. The police are, therefore, increasing cooperation with aid organizations like Victim Support and the Center for Sexual Violence. “Suspects sometimes turn into monsters in the minds of victims. It can help to restore contact, talk about it, and take the first steps to give it a place,” Van Lier said.
According to the police, the sexually transgressive behavior scandal at the talent show The Voice of Holland played a role in the increase in sex crime reports. Van Lier does not expect the boom in reports to be temporary. The voice has opened many people’s eyes to what is not normal or okay. That’s wonderful, she said. “But our concern is that this number is the new norm.”
The new sex crime law, which makes having sex without explicit consent a criminal offense, that takes effect next year will also lead to more reports, Van Lier expects. “But people have to realize that this is no guarantee that a provable criminal case will come out of it. Sometimes the solution lies in offering help. We really need to work more closely with victim lawyers and social organizations.” Van Lier stressed that this should not discourage victims from reporting a sex crime. 
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Three men deny raping woman who was vulnerable due to alcohol in Maastricht
Three men aged 19, 22, and 24, who are accused of raping a young woman in October of last year in Maastricht, deny forcing her to have sex. The suspects claim that the woman consented to the sexual acts. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) believes that the suspects took advantage of the woman’s “vulnerable state,” partly due to alcohol use.
The 18-year-old victim was reportedly raped during the evening hours of October 28, leading into October 29, when she was on her way home after a night out. She encountered four men by the Sint Servaasbrug. Because the woman was still unfamiliar with her new neighborhood, the four offered to take her home.
Instead, she was taken to a building on Hoogbrugstraat, where she was reportedly raped. The police later released blurred CCTV footage, which resulted in the arrest of all four suspects.
Three of the men appeared at a public hearing for the first time on Tuesday. “I think it’s strange that the prosecution is accusing me of rape with violence,” defendant Mohamad A. told the court through an interpreter. “I did have sex, but it was not forced.” The OM said that a co-defendant testified that A. had sexual intercourse with the victim against her will.
Suspect Ibrahim I. is also accused of two other instances of sexual violence in addition to the rape accusation. In May, he allegedly raped a girl under 16 in Maastricht and is also facing charges of sexual assault.
The court decided that the three suspects will stay in detention. The presiding judge stated that allowing them to remain free while awaiting trial would be hard to justify to society. A fourth suspect may face the court at a later date, though it is unclear when; he is currently not in custody.
Father and twin sons jailed in Rotterdam for incest and long-term abuse of daughter
A court in Rotterdam has sentenced a father to five years in prison in an incest case. For years, he physically and sexually abused his daughter. Her twin brothers, who also assaulted her, received prison terms of 32 months each, with 8 months conditionally suspended.
The victim was abused by her father from the age of 12 to 19. The sexual abuse included groping, rape, and sexual assault, and occurred weekly. Other instances of abuse included hitting the girl with a stick, slapping, or punching the girl.
The court found the victim’s statements to be credible, partly because they were detailed and consistent and were supported by other evidence. The trial also revealed that the strictly Christian family from Rotterdam-Zuidwijk had lived in isolation, dominated by the father’s control.
Psychiatric evaluations showed that both the father, Marius van der P., and his sons, Johannes and Bouwen van der P., have autism spectrum disorders. The court sentenced the father to five years in prison along with mandatory psychiatric therapy at a TBS facility under conditions, while the brothers must also receive treatment.
Prosecutors had sought harsher penalties: eight years in prison and TBS with compulsory treatment for the father, and 54 months and TBS with conditions for the brothers.
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