Dutch court imposes harsher sentence on former coach for misconduct

A Dutch appeals court has imposed a two-week suspended prison sentence on a 45-year-old former residential coach from Schiedam for sexual misconduct involving a vulnerable client. The court also issued a special condition prohibiting the man from working with vulnerable women.

The incident occurred in 2023 while the man was working as a residential coach in Rotterdam. Crisis service employees discovered an 18-year-old woman with a severe intellectual disability in his presence. The victim reported that the man had touched her breasts and reached inside her underwear.

The court increased the severity of the punishment from the initial community service sentence handed down by a lower court, noting the man's continued denial of the behavior and expressing concern that he remains active within the healthcare sector.