A man (46) from the municipality of Mol in the Antwerp province is risking a prison sentence for possessing, distributing and making child pornography, after he had previously been convicted of the rape of an 8-year-old girl in 2002.
The man was summoned to appear before the court for several cases of child pornography, which came to light in June 2017.
"During a search of his house, about 12,000 files containing child pornography were found on his computers, of which over 200 videos of children around the age of 5 being abused, and hundreds of chat conversations of the man asking 65 minors to perform sexual acts in front of their webcam," the public prosecutor said, adding that he also made a 45-minute video of a 12-year-old girl, reports Het Nieuwsblad.
"That video, he offered to others via Skype, asking them if it could be exchanged for other videos. Child pornography was used as a commodity," the prosecutor added.
The man also chatted with the underage daughters of his girlfriend between 2012 and 2017, asking them to kiss and cuddle with him. On a camera, 600 deleted child pornography pictures were also found.
The public prosecutor's office demanded a four-year prison sentence, a €4,000 fine and a five-year bar of certain rights, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.
"I thought I was strong enough, but I was not. It should never have happened. When I left the investigation judge, I immediately went to the courthouse to start the treatment. When I got home after that, I first called Telenet to cancel my internet connection," the man said. "I do not seem to be strong enough to have a computer, and I do not have a smartphone either," he said, adding that he has been following group therapy for a year and that it is helping him.
In 2002, the man had been convicted of the rape of an 8-year-old girl in his family. He was sentenced to prison for three years with probation conditions, but following advice from the court psychiatrist, he was granted rehabilitation, meaning he had no criminal record.
The judge will pronounce a verdict on January 6.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
