Stadskanaal Man Sentenced to Four Years for Child Abuse, No TBS

A 55‑year‑old man from Stadskanaal was convicted of raping a young girl and assaulting two other children aged four to eight. Police recovered about 30,000 images of child sexual abuse on his devices, some filmed by the perpetrator himself. The court sentenced him to four years in prison, with one year suspended, but did not impose a TBS (mandatory psychiatric treatment) order because experts found no qualifying mental disorder.

The prosecution had sought an eight‑year term and a TBS measure, arguing the severity of the offenses and the extensive evidence. The reduced sentence and lack of TBS have sparked public outrage, with victims' families describing lasting trauma for the children involved.