A 27-year-old man from Bredene was on Friday remanded in custody for an additional two months on suspicion of sexual offences with minors, according to the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office, Bruges Division.
The suspect, who worked as a teacher at a school in Blankenberge, became the target of an investigation following rumours that he was having a relationship with a student. It later came to light that, in recent years, he had also had sexual relations with other pupils, the youngest of whom was reportedly just 14 years old.
The suspect finally gave himself up to the police on 17 May. After questioning, he was arrested by the examining magistrate on suspicion of sexual offences.
A court in Bruges ruled on Friday that he should spend at least two more months in prison.
On the heels of his case, new information quickly surfaced that another member of staff at the same school had allegedly engaged in inappropriate behaviour towards minors online. However, the victims in this case were not pupils of the school.
The man, M.C. (31) from Blankenberge, appeared on 1 June before an investigating judge, who placed him under arrest on suspicion of incitement to lewdness and grooming.
He, too, is still in pre-trial detention.
